


The Voice of Reason - Remastered

by Spiegatrix_Lestrange



Series: The Sound of Stars [1]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: A Lot of Plot, Angst, Angst and Feels, Armitage Hux Being An Asshole, Armitage Hux Has Feelings, Diplomacy, Drama, Excessive Drinking, F/M, Feels, Fight against Destiny, First Order Original Character, Flow Walking Force Power, Force Bond (Star Wars), Hate Sex, Hate to Love, Inappropriate Humor, Kylo Ren Has Issues, Kylo Ren Needs a Hug, Kylo Ren Redemption, Kylo Ren needs a Friend, Kylo Ren needs a Jiminy Cricket, Major Original Character(s), Male-Female Friendship, Rey Needs A Hug, Reylo - Freeform, Reylo Offspring, Rivalry, Sassy, Smut, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, Swearing, The Force, The Force Ships It, The ways of the Force are mysterious, This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think, Time Travel, Weird Plot Shit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-20
Updated: 2018-11-22
Packaged: 2019-03-21 20:03:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 33,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13748250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spiegatrix_Lestrange/pseuds/Spiegatrix_Lestrange
Summary: After the battle of Crate Kylo Ren is maybe even more alone than before, but now that he knows how is it like to have someone by his side he isn't ready to let go the thought of Rey, the Scavenger from Jakku who showed him the light he still had in him.His duty as the new Supreme Leader place him around someone new: Conciliator Vhera Arani, the Head of the Diplomacy of the First Order. She is all but extraordinary. She's not Force sensitive, she's not a fearless warrior, nor a legendary seductress. Her one, true merit is to be capable of making her voice heard. Vhera and Kylo will develop a weird and unexpected kind of friendship, supporting each other while they both face their demons, like her quite unhealthily relationship with Generl Hux and the fact that, out of nowhere, a woman who calls herself Leia, strong in the Force as only a Skywalker could be, has appeared from the future to warn them of a great danger.





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [](https://ibb.co/mx7ArT)  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was my first story here on Ao3, but also the first story I ever wrote in English so, long story short, it was a damn mess.   
> I still love this story with all my heart so finally, after months from the last update I finally found a beta, the amazing and adorable Winnie, and she's helping me out with this project. The story will come out regularly (for quite obvious reasons) and I hope you will enjoy it.
> 
> Let me know what you think in the comments :D

The muffled noise of the engine shifted slightly, announcing to the unconcerned occupant of the small First Order shuttle that the ship was approaching the hangar.

 

The communication system creaked softly, announcing a message from the cockpit.

“Conciliator Arani, ma'am,” stated a monotonous, male voice, “the ramp will be down in a few seconds.”

There was no response, just the brief clang from the protocol droid turning his attention to his master.

“Mistress Arani, ma'am, let me remind you,” the metallic voice said, “that according to the profile we drafted from five years of official reports about the Knights of Ren, considering your usual way of going through negotiations, your chances of surviving a meeting with the new Supreme Leader are fifteen to one.”

A resigned sigh was her first answer. Putting on her gray coat, the woman looked at the droid just for a second.

“Thank you for the odds, S-7W8.” A brief moment of silence, and then the ramp went down, showing her a glimpse of the hangar. Some people were waiting for her, standing motionless in front of the ship.

 

***

Walking straight to the main hangar bay, General Hux kept his eyes on the datapad in his gloved hands. The rèsumè he was looking at was long, yet quite boring: mostly diplomatic gibberish, accords, and treaties, but there was also the peaceful surrender of Felucia; that was quite impressive, actually. Somehow this Arani had managed to subdue the Ithorians without a single drop of blood. Nevertheless, diplomacy wasn't his kind of thing, yet a diplomat was landing her shuttle right now in the hangar of his ship.

The High Council of the First Order, basically a bunch of old, nostalgic Empire enthusiasts still hiding in the Unknown Regions, was in turmoil since the unfortunate and brutal death of Supreme Leader Snoke only two standard months before.

Conciliator Vhera Arani was there on behalf of the High Council, to bring some clarity to the current situation and to find out if, for the sake of the stability of the First Order itself, the new Supreme Leader was the right man for the job.

Hux considered all this a total waste of time. Even if Ren ended up being considered unfit for his role, surely no one in his right mind would be fool enough to let him know.  
Reaching the proper spot in the hangar, the general handed the datapad to Lieutenant Mitaka, who was waiting there for him with a small division of troopers for a proper welcome.

When the ramp went down with a deep clanging noise, the most unimpressive-looking person Armitage Hux had ever seen started walking toward them from inside the ship.

She was a woman at the beginning of her thirties, mostly covered in a long gray coat that very much resembled his own. Not fat yet definitely not skinny, not beautiful but not totally ugly, Conciliator Arani had flat, almost boring brown hair ending just above her shoulders, not particularly intense brown eyes, pale skin, and quite forgettable features.

Definitely not impressed, General Hux came just a little bit closer and formally greeted her, as protocol required.

“Conciliator Arani...” he started, with a stentorian note in his voice, “I'm General Hux. It’s my pleasure to welcome you on board the Finalizer.”

The woman stopped in front of him at a polite distance, immediately followed by her protocol droid. She was clearly a civilian; her stance and her body language left no doubt. “The pleasure is mine, general. I'm really grateful for the opportunity. Your ship is clearly remarkable. “ While she said those usual formalities, Hux noticed something pretty unusual that gave him a little, subtle shiver. Her voice was probably the only remarkable thing about her. It was low and harmonious, almost unnaturally so, soft and calm. Maybe, just maybe, on someone more peculiar, such a particularity would have gone unnoticed.

“The Supreme Leader awaits you in the meeting room, ma'am,” the general said, expressionless, just turning around. “Please follow me.”

Silently, Conciliator Vhera Arani started walking behind him, raising her brows while looking at the general's back. He, the damn general of the damn First Order, was escorting her personally to her meeting with the new Supreme Leader. That blatantly clear symptom of mistrust didn't go unnoticed. That kind of attitude was, nevertheless, quite predictable from a man like Hux. His fame among the 

First Order didn't leave room for interpretation, but Vhera was not particularly impressed. This was her seventh standard year among the ranks of the First Order, and in that time she had met numerous uptight, power-hungry warmongers. Armitage Hux was just another one of them.

As they stepped into an elevator, she took a long moment to stare at him, analyzing his expression, posture, and general body language. Conspicuous insecurities swept under the carpet of a huge ego? Very likely. Daddy issues?... Yeah, maybe.

Hux was feeling watched. He shot a cold glance at the conciliator, hoping that the unspoken rules of common politeness would make her look away, but she kept staring, nonchalant calm on her irrelevant face.

He cleared his throat once, then looked away. When he looked back, her eyes were still locked on him.

“Can I help you, ma'am?” he asked, with forced politeness.

“Oh, don't mind me.” That smooth, beautiful voice again. “I'm just doing my job.”

Her tone was almost confidential. For someone else maybe that could be pleasant, but General Hux didn't appreciate that kind of approach. That kind of answer was still not inappropriate enough to make any remarks about it, but he didn't like it at all. He twisted his lips just a little. “About that,” he started with an imperceptibly annoyed note on his voice, “I hope you don't mind if I ask, but I'd really like to know the reason for your presence on my ship.”

“The High Council just need a few reassurances about the state of things around here.” Such a pleasant tone, yet quite inappropriate, again. 

Hux's lips twisted a little more. “I see.” His voice was a little irritated now. 

Vhera tilted her head mildly. She had been on the Finalizer for only a few minutes, and the conversation seemed tense already. Excellent. In a very childish way, she actually liked to make people slightly uncomfortable. Usually, in diplomatic situations, being the one in control, the one who felt more comfortable, could give her the higher ground. Their conversation could clearly end there, but the conciliator was not entertained enough yet, apparently.

“Nice hair, by the way.” In her personal experience, men like General Hux were not used to properly handling compliments about their looks. The response was minimal but amusing. 

He raised his chin, his nostrils flaring, then he just looked away.“Thanks.” His voice was a little tense, but yet formal and polite. “You're welcome, Sir.”

In a second the elevator stopped. As the doors opened, she walked calmly outside. Turning around to face the general back in the elevator, she shot him a gentle, polite smile. “Thank you for accompanying me, general. Again, it was a pleasure. Have a nice day.”  
All that she got from him was a slight nod.“Conciliator,” he said, emotionless before the elevator doors shut. 

Well, that was a good start.Conciliator Vhera Anari turned around to face the imposing door to the meeting room. She inhaled slowly, bracing herself. The best part of that day was yet to come.

***

The tall walls of the meeting room were mostly black, durasteel probably. When Conciliator Arani raised her eyes, her gaze went straight to the dark figure at the end of the table, sitting in the biggest chair.

She had never met Kylo Ren in person, but she hadn't expected him to be like this. Yes, he was surely imposing, even when he was sitting down, martial in his black outfit, large gloved hands placed on the armrests of his chair, but well, he was younger than she had imagined, probably even a couple of years younger then she was. His face was slightly irregular yet pleasant, but his features weren't menacing as she had expected. The big scar that crossed his cheekbone and part of his forehead wasn't so bad either.

She bowed respectfully, her gloved hand on her stomach. “Supreme Leader Ren, thank you for meeting me.” Dark eyes pierced her across the room.

“Conciliator Vhera Arani, I suppose,” said his flat, baritone voice. 

“Yes, my lord.”

“You're allowed to speak.” A swift hand gesture told her to rise from her bow.

Conciliator Arani nodded, rising up. After just a second of calculated hesitation, she looked at him and spoke.“May I sit?”

Silence, at first. Supreme Leader Ren furrowed his brows, looking at her. “Are you tired?”

“No, my lord.”

“Then there is no reason for you to sit down.” 

Excellent, great start, here we go.

That extremely pleasant voice of hers came out, if possible, even smoother and softer.

“Yet, with all due respect, my lord, I suppose you don't need me standing up for any particular reason.”

Bold move; maybe too bold.

Supreme Leader Ren raised his chin, his mouth slightly deformed while he looked at her with obvious irritation. “Have you traveled this far just to push your luck, conciliator?” 

“No, my lord.”

“Then I suggest you will conduct yourself in a most respectful manner; otherwise, you'll force me to explain to you in unmistakable ways the respect I demand from my subjects.”  
The woman swallowed nervously.“My lord, with all due respect...” Ren resisted the urge to roll his eyes, as she went on, “Actually, I'm offering the most respectful thing someone in my position could offer to someone in yours.” 

His right fist clenched. The rising of his rage was palpable.

“My honesty.”

Silence. No Force choking, no Force lightning, no Force slamming her into the fucking wall. Good. 

“Go on,” he just said.

“Am I allowed to speak freely, my lord?” 

“Even more?”

“Yes, please.”

Silence again. She sighed slightly, hoping for the best. 

“Go on then, conciliator.”

Vhera nodded.“People are usually too scared or too opportunistic to speak honestly in front of someone in your position. That can be a dangerous way of interacting with powerful people. I'm offering you my honesty because I'd rather be useful than be safe. I've devoted my life to the First Order. I am a woman of words; violence is not my kind of thing, but I firmly believe that the galaxy needs to be united and ruled properly.”

Beneath his gloomy expression, Supreme Leader Ren looked a little, just a little, surprised. 

“Moreover...” the conciliator continued, now looking directly in his eyes, “I've done my homework. I've read the last five years of your mission reports. I know you can read my mind, if you want. So, read it, if you need proof of my goodwill.”

“I don't need your permission to do that,” he clarified.

“I know, my lord,” she answered, allowing herself a little, polite smile. “ Nevertheless, you have it.”

Supreme Leader Ren stared at her in silence for a few seconds, then he lifted his hand in a swift gesture.

“Come closer,” he said. 

She furrowed her brow slightly.“Yes, my lord.” Of course, Vhera was scared; she was smart enough to realize she was playing with fire. Nevertheless, she walked rapidly toward Ren, stopping just a few feet away from him. 

“Sit,” the Supreme Leader demanded. His voice was almost gentle.

She looked around briefly. The chairs were a little bit far behind her, on the side of the table. Maybe she had gone a little bit too near him. Vhera shot a glance at the table. Whatever, she would have took the risk, at this point.

In an almost clumsy move she backed toward the table, and with a small push of her hands, Conciliator Arani was now sitting on it, quite near to a vaguely perplexed Kylo Ren.

If Vhera would have been a different kind of woman, maybe a more intriguing, appealing one, that gesture could have been almost seductive, but she didn't seem that kind of woman at all. Ren rose from his seat. Kriff, he was tall. Conciliator Arani hadn't realized how imposing he actually was. Lifting her chin to keep looking him in the eyes, she just waited, a forced serene look on her face.

When his gloved hand came near to her face, she felt an unusual pain at the back of her head. She tried for a few seconds to not look away, but that sensation was too odd, invasive, and unpleasant, and 

Vhera felt the need to close her eyes. Trying to avoid any fear, trying to be brave, she tightened her lips to stand that strange kind of pain.  
As Ren moved his hand away from her face, the unpleasant sensation was gone. The woman tried to settle her heavy breathing and looked back at him.

“So the High Council itself sent you to understand if I can do my job,” he said in his low, newly calm voice, sitting down in his chair again.

“Yes, my lord,” Conciliator Arani replied, not moving from her spot on the table.

“And what do you think about your assignment?” he asked. 

The woman raised her eyebrow. “You were in my head, I think you know what I think about it.”

“I want to know how you would phrase your thoughts. I'm just curious.”

“Well...” she started, a little hesitant. “It's not like they have enough power to dismiss you from your current position, so the assignment the High Council gave me is quite useless, I admit. On the other hand, I know how to handle those kinds of people, and this galaxy needs a proper ruler, not just a conqueror. This might sound arrogant, I know, but I just want to do my part. You know what I mean by that.”

After another long moment of silence, Supreme Leader Ren spoke again.“Conciliator Arani, you're assigned to the Finalizer until further notice. Now you may go,” Ren said dismissively.  
“Thank you, Supreme Leader.” Her soft, pleasant voice was a little bit warmer now, just a little. She got off the table at once, and after a respectful bow, she walked straight to the door. 

“Conciliator, one last thing.” 

Vhera froze, turning around slowly.“Yes, my lord?”

“I hope you understand that this kind of inappropriate behavior will have consequences if perpetrated in public.” His dark eyes locked on hers in a cold, intense glare.

“Of course, Supreme Leader.”

With an indolent movement of his hand, Ren dismissed her for good.

***

General Armitage Hux was looking at his reflection in the durasteel door of the elevator. The new cycle had just begun on the Finalizer, and his usual meeting with Ren would have started in a few minutes. Unfortunately, he already knew what to expect. Almost impossible requests, a few raging outbursts, passive bitterness, bad looks and occasionally some absent nods.

He frowned when, unexpectedly, the elevator stopped before its time, and the durasteel doors slid open.

Hux forced himself to not roll his eyes when he saw Conciliator Arani and her annoying, insignificant little face coming in.

“General,” she greeted him with that irritatingly gentle voice of hers. 

“Conciliator,” he muttered, avoiding looking at her.After a few more seconds he realized: what was she even doing here?“Ma'am, I have to inform you, if you're going to ask for an audience with the 

Supreme Leader right now, you'll be disappointed. We have a private meeting scheduled in a few minutes.” 

Conciliator Arani looked at him with a little smirk. This time her voice came out even more pleasant and sweet, intentionally.“Thank you, general, but you don't have to worry about me,” she said, without even looking at him. “The Supreme Leader demanded my presence at your meeting.”

Of course, he did. Armitage Hux sometimes seemed to forget that annoying him was one of the main purposes in Kylo kriffin' Ren's life. The presence of that useless, irrelevant woman was just another way to mock him.

As the elevator stopped in front of the meeting room, they both stepped out.

The large room was totally empty, except for the well-known, dark figure of the Supreme Leader sitting on his chair. There were no other chairs around the big, black table, except for one, standing next to the one Ren was sitting on. Hux glared as casually as possible at that chair for just a second. That was new, he thought. Usually, Ren preferred people standing in front of him during private meetings.

“General, conciliator...” The Supreme Leader greeted them, expressionless. With a swift gesture of his hand he commanded Conciliator Arani to sit in the chair next to him.  
For a second, a really irritated General Hux looked at the surprised expression on her face, but when she walked to the table, sitting beside Ren and looking back at him, he was already internally screaming his hate toward the Supreme Asshole and the Conciliating Bitch in front of him. Carefully avoiding any relevant facial expression, he looked back at Ren.

“Shall we begin?” the new Supreme Leader asked.

“Of course,” the general replied, not even flinching. “For now we have no news about the Resistance. After Crait they've been really careful, keeping themselves under the radar. I suggest sending more scouts to the Outer Rim to find out if any of their supposed allies know something. Many systems in the Outer Rim had declared themselves neutral, but we have some suspects...” 

Kylo Ren just nodded absently, his brooding gaze lost somewhere across the room.

“Also, right now, every bounty hunter in the galaxy knows that the First Order is looking for the Millennium Falcon. Sooner or later someone will notice that piece of junk somewhere...”

“So, basically we have nothing right now,” Ren pointed out sharply.

General Hux twisted his lips, his eyes narrowing. He was about to speak again when Conciliator Arani cleared her throat, slightly raising her hand, asking to speak.

Ren turned to look directly at her, his vaguely irritated eyes on her raised hand.“Speak, Conciliator.”

“Yes, my lord. With all due respect, I've read the reports about the operation on Crait. It's safe to assume that all the Resistance has right now is around thirty members on a single light freighter. Even if they managed to find some allies in the Outer Rim, it would take years for them to become a relevant threat to the First Order.”

General Hux pursed his lips.

The Supreme Leader didn't look so happy either.

“Our efforts to find them are keeping them relevant, even if they haven't enough resources to be so,” the woman continued.

Hux couldn't believe his ears. “Are you suggesting...” we should just ignore them?”

“I didn't say that,” she replied firmly. “The Resistance keeps saying that they're the spark that will light the fire that will burn us down. Well, even a spark, to start, needs oxygen. I'm just suggesting we take the oxygen they need from them.”

General Hux forced himself to remain expressionless, but deep inside he knew he couldn't stand that nonsense for much longer.

“Resistances are built on hope. People support them because they think they have the moral high ground, they are supposed to be the heroes fighting against the oppressor. Well, we just need to show them for what they are: just a bunch of terrorists.”

Ren was keeping quiet for now, but Hux really couldn't.“This is the most naive and grossly simplistic thing I've ever heard,” he declared.

“Let me finish, general,” she continued. “I can talk to the High Council. I can ask for enough funds to build our own X-wing starfighter squadron. After that, we just have to select a few sensitive targets around the galaxy and use that squadron to hit possible Resistance allies. No one will trust them ever again.”

That was far more than enough. Hux moved one step forward, his voice raised by anger. “This is nonsense, Supreme Leader. You can't really...” As he looked at Ren, his voice stopped. The man was slightly shaking, his breath heavy, and his eyes were locked somewhere in the middle of the meeting room.

“Out,” the new Supreme Leader whispered.

Vhera looked at him, frowning. She was about to speak when something she’d never witnessed suddenly happened. Something invisible and extremely powerful burst from the Supreme Leader as he got up from his chair, his gaze still on something only he could see in the center of the room. The furniture around him was thrown in the air, and Conciliator Arani with it. She landed violently on the ground several feet away, breathless and with a terrified look on her face.

“I said out! Both of you!” Ren shouted, clenching his fists.

Vhera got back on her feet clumsily, as fast as she could, her hands shaking. She forced herself not to run, walking straight to the door Hux was already stepping through.

Once they were out of the meeting room and the door was closed behind them, she started to breathe again. Hux was a few feet away, looking at her with a cold, irritated look.

“I suppose you've never interacted with a Force user before,” he stated. 

Vhera just closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to get herself together. “Yup,” she muttered.

“By the way,” he said, flaunting disregard in his cold tone, “you have blood on your face.”

Conciliator Arani eyes shot open. She raised her hand to her lip, just now acknowledging the pain. Her nonchalant attitude disappeared; now she looked quite irritated.

“Great,” she spat. “Excellent.”

“You should ask for a medical droid as soon as you get into your quarters, conciliator,” the general said.

“I'm fine,” she answered briefly, without looking at him “For now, I just need a drink.” 

“It's a bit early to start drinking, ma'am,” he stated, raising a brow.

“General, we're in space. That rule doesn't count here,” Vhera declared sharply.

She made her way to the elevator in silence, leaving behind a quite perplexed General Hux.

 

***

Back in the meeting room, Kylo Ren stayed still, his shoulder nervously stiff, still staring in the same direction as before. Just a few seconds before, a disturbance in the Force, strong but peaceful, had made him squirm. It felt like something had been taken away like something was lost, like something was no more. He could feel it, even if he was a galaxy away, and the thought of what he knew had happened made him shiver. She was there, now, in front of him, in the middle of the meeting room, dragged there by the Force Bond they shared, enveloped in the same numb sense of loss he couldn't help but feel right now. There were tears on her face, a lot of them, as she looked at him with her sad hazel eyes.

“Rey...” He just had the strength to whisper, his face trembling slightly. 

“She's gone, Ben,” she said between sobs. “Leia...”

Kylo could feel it; the sense of loss in his gut felt dramatically more real than before. He said nothing, his lips barely open, his eyes still locked on her.

Rey just trembled a little as her fist clenched, walking straight to him. Now he could see wrath spreading upon her face.“She is gone, Ben. Your mother is dead, and you weren't with her!”

For a second he looked away, his lips pursing as he could feel numb pain growing in his chest. When Rey stopped in front of him, Kylo didn't move, still silent.

“She loved you to her last breath, and yet you have chosen power over her! Over your father, over all of us!”

As he started to speak, only a low growl full of painful anger came out. “All of us? You mean you, Rey.”

She raised her chin, a glimpse of loathing in her face. “Yes, I also mean me,” she declared without a second thought.

“I've offered you everything, and yet you have chosen to have nothing. To be nothing,” Kylo replied in a breath, his arms shaking, full of anger.

Rey closed her eyes just for a second, as her hands lifted to wipe away the tears from her face. As she looked back at him, all the wrath in her eyes was gone.

“Kylo Ren offered me everything, and I refused him.” She spoke in a soft, sad voice. “But if it would have been Ben Solo asking me, I would have said yes.”

Kylo inhaled strongly, his face shrinking between wrath and self-hatred. He turned his face away from her, nervously, but when he tried to look back at her, she had already disappeared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also check my Tumblr: https://spiegatrixlestrange.tumblr.com/  
> Thanks for reading :D


	2. Chapter 2

Two days after the accident in the meeting room, Vhera Arani was still in her quarters, bored and vaguely irritated. The bruise on her lower lip had almost disappeared, yet there was no news from the Supreme Leader. Not that she expected any kind of apology, but since she had been assigned to the Finalizer by his command, she'd really like to know how much time she would waste there, doing nothing.

With only the company of her protocol droid and a bottle of Corellian rum, Vhera had spent the last two days reading old reports on her datapad, trying to get as much information as she could about the Resistance, Supreme Leader Ren and General Hux. Knowing as much as possible about the people she worked with was a very important part of her work as conciliator. Diplomacy wasn't just about convincing enemies to bend to you; it was also about containing the damage your allies could do by acting recklessly.

The absolute silence in the room was broken by a sound from her holopad, announcing an incoming call from the Supreme Leader himself.

“Shit...” she murmured, taking a rapid look at herself. She was wearing an old tank top with some food stains on it, and her hair was a mess. Was it better to make him wait and change her clothes or to remain like that and just hope he didn't care? After a second of panic, she puffed, “You know what? Fuck it.”

She touched the holopad, accepting the incoming call. A holographic image of Kylo Ren popped out on her table. “Good evening, conciliator.”

“Supreme Leader Ren,” she replied, looking at him. 

Ren seemed like he was about to speak, but he just stared at her for a few seconds in silence.“Is it a bad time, conciliator?” he asked sarcastically. 

Vhera knew that he didn't care; it was just a way to tell her that she looked like shit. The conciliator didn't even flinch.

“Of course not, my lord. I'm in my quarters working, at the moment.” The woman could see him raising an eyebrow.

“I see... Is that alcohol?” he asked slowly. 

She hesitated. “Yes...?”

The Supreme Leader’s hologram looked at her in a quite judgmental way for a few seconds. “Are you sober?”

Now it was Vhera's turn to furrow her brows.

“Of course I am, my lord,” she answered, vaguely irritated. “I'm working. I'm not used to getting drunk while I'm working, unless I have to be flirty with very, very, very unpleasant people I have to bargain   
with.”

Kylo Ren cleared his throat, overwhelmed for a moment by that inappropriate information. “I really didn't need to know that,” he claimed darkly.

Vhera clenched her lips.

“Well, I've offered you my honesty, and you accepted, so here it is!”

“Conciliator Arani!” A firm, irritated growl came from the holopad, a clear warning. 

She closed her lips, swallowed and lowered her eyes.“I'm sorry, Supreme Leader,” Vhera declared, trying to get herself together. “There's something you need to tell me?” she asked, very politely.

“Yes.” Kylo Ren tried to be calmer. “I've thought about your plan, the one about mining Resistance alliances. I'm not exactly enthusiastic about it, but is still better than doing nothing, as Hux is doing right now.”

Conciliator Arani’s eyes shot open in surprise. “Oh... well, thanks Supreme Leader.”

“You will go to Canto Bight to meet a few arms manufacturers. The First Order has already worked with most of them. You'll make arrangements with them about the X-wing squadron we need for your plan.”

“Yes, Supreme Leader.”

“One more thing,” Ren said. “Bring General Hux with you. Those people love him. They always hope he'll be interested in buying some new toy for our army.”

Vhera forced herself not to giggle. Oh, Hux was going to hate that.

“Oh, of course. Supreme Leader?” she started vaguely. “May I submit a little request?” 

He raised an eyebrow, again.“Speak.”

“May I be the one who tells him?” The conciliator asked, hardly hiding a delighted smile on her face.

Ren threw at her another judgmental stare, but just for one second she could swear she had seen a little smirk on the Supreme Leader's face.

“Yes, you can,” he answered calmly.

“Thank you, my lord,” she replied, hardly containing a smug smile on her face. 

“Just one more thing.”

“Yes?”

Ren threw a glance at Vhera's stained tank top:“You'll be among the wealthiest and most influential people in the galaxy. Be sure to dress and behave properly.”

***

As soon as the engine of the ship started to roar, Conciliator Arani walked out of the cockpit, entering the small shuttle's main room wearing her usual long, gray coat.

General Hux was sitting on a chair near to a small, round table, impeccable as always, but with a clear look of distaste on his face. The idea of wasting four days of work to be in the presence of that useless woman was irritating enough to make him want to punch her in the face. Of course, the Supreme Douche had approved that silly, idiotic plan of hers, and now he had to come along to make sure this wouldn't end in a complete disaster.

Conciliator Arani sat in front of him.

“We'll depart in a few minutes, general. According to schedule, we'll arrive in Canto Bight in twenty-two standard hours,” she informed him, trying a little, gentle smile on her face, which irritated him even more.

“In the meantime,” Vhera went on, as she took the datapad from her pocket, “we should recap our plan. I've selected someone we can speak to; he seems to be reserved enough to keep our request confidential. Mr. Leann Karu is a Chiss merchant well known in the Unknown Regions for being a self-centered egomaniac obsessed with money, inter-species sex and heavy drinking, so… How is your alcohol endurance?”

The general looked at her with a quite disgusted expression on his face.“Most of what you just said is irrelevant to the mission and gross. I can't see how all of this should help us. Also, how did you get such information?”

Vhera clenched her jaw, looking straight at him.

“If you don't mind, I'm just doing my job here. Gathering information about people we have to bargain with is an essential part of it. In case you didn't know, we're not going there to bomb them, we're going there to trade, and the more his people like us, the better.”

“May I speak freely, conciliator?” Hux asked with an irritated spasm in his voice, putting his hands on the table.

She furrowed her brow. “Of course you can, general.”

“This operation as a whole is a complete waste of time. Your plan is totally ridiculous, and you are totally incompetent in matters of warfare,” he declared, without even flinching.

Conciliator Arani inhaled deeply.

“May I speak freely too, general?” she demanded. 

“Yes, ma'am,” Hux replied, clearly annoyed.

“First of all, this operation is not about warfare,” she spat. “We are on a diplomatic mission. Second of all, it's pretty clear you don't know anything about diplomacy, so you're not qualified enough to judge   
me as a diplomat. Third of all, general, kriff off and let me do my kriffin' job.” 

General Hux’s eyes shot open, and he jumped out of his chair.“How dare you?! I'm your direct superior!” he shouted.

“The kriff you are! I'm a civilian, and I respond only to the High Council of the First Order and Supreme Leader Ren. Besides, as you know very well, I'm in charge of this operation. You're just supposed to accompany me for political reasons, so now, please, shut the kriff up and sit the kriff down. Thank you very much.”

Hux's mouth hung open. His slender figure seemed to shiver with rage. “No one dares to speak to me like that and survives, conciliator! I will not tolerate such a...”

Before the general could finish his rant, Vhera was on her feet facing him, even if she was far shorter than him, pointing a gloved finger right in his face.“I said shut up and sit down!” she screamed. “And that is an order!”

He clenched his jaw, taking a deep breath. Hux passed a hand through his ginger hair, trying to regain composure.

As they both sat down on their chairs, calming their breaths, the general looked at her with a long, cold glance.

“You're going to regret this conversation with every inch of your being,” he declared in his usual calm, polite voice.

“I'm sure I will,” she responded, forcing herself to be calm. “Now, can we please get back to work?”

***

That night, as many other nights before, he dreamed of a face, the face of a woman he didn't know. The first time, she was nothing but a hooded shadow, looking at him from a distance. As time went by, she came closer, walking toward him step by step in his dreams. Kylo Ren could feel her through the Force. The woman he had dreamed of night after night didn't mean him any harm; she was like a silent observer, tiptoeing through the corners of his consciousness in her gray hooded robe. Fear and anger were his first reactions when it all had begun. He couldn't stand the thought of someone inside his mind, not after Snoke, but as he realized she wasn't there for the same purpose his old master used to have, he became more and more curious. 

Night after night, Kylo Ren could see a little bit more of her. She wasn't young, yet she was beautiful in a disturbingly familiar kind of way. She was around five foot ten, quite tall, and her figure seemed slender through the robe she was wearing. Her eyes were piercing, almost black, full of pain and determination, yet calm and gentle. Her skin was fair, covered by a pattern of freckles. For many nights, 

Kylo tried to talk to her, to ask her who she was. At first, she didn't answer, her mouth shut, but after a few nights she tried to speak. Her lips seemed to move, but he couldn't hear her words, like they were a whisper from too far away. That night, after two months of silence, finally he could hear her.

“Who are you?” he asked as he had done again and again. 

She opened her mouth. The voice sounded distorted, distant, yet incredibly real.“You don't know me,” she answered, “and you never will.”

Ren looked astonished. At last, after all that silence, the Force had brought him her voice. “What does it mean?”

“It means that you're not where you're supposed to be, Ben Solo.”

Those words burned in his ears for a long moment, but as soon as he tried to speak again, he woke up.

 

***

The Canto Bight skyline General Armitage Hux was looking at from the window of his hotel room was supposed to be breathtaking, but he was clearly too pissed to to enjoy it. Their meeting with Leann Karu was in about half an hour, and now he was fixing his bow tie. Since his uniform would have looked a bit out of place in the Canto Bight Casino, he was now wearing a properly fashioned black suit.  
Someone knocked on his door, and Hux rolled his eyes in annoyance, already knowing who that would be.

“Come in.”

“Are you ready?” Conciliator Arani opened the door, staring at Hux in the reflection of the mirror in front of him. She was wearing a long, elegant and almost chaste black dress, covering her whole body except for her hands and her head. She seemed taller -- surely she was wearing heels -- and her hair was pulled up in an elaborate, soft hairdo. She may have looked almost pleasant, if it wasn't for the bruise on her lower lip.

“Yes, I am.” Hux answered as calmly as possible. As he turned around to look at her directly, he couldn't help but smirk.“You should put some makeup oh that bruised lip, or else you'll look like a whore who got beaten up by her pimp.”

The reference was clear, he was very politely implying that she was the Supreme Leader's whore, but the conciliator chose to ignore him.

Vhera rolled her eyes as she huffed, clearly annoyed. She walked straight to the mirror in his room, getting closer to him as she pulled something out from the small bag at her side. She didn't even look at him as she started to put on a very dark shade of red lipstick. As she got closer, Hux could see the back of her dress, which left basically all of her back showing in a deep v-line.

“And you're also dressed as a whore. Excellent,” Hux mocked her briefly.

“This dress gets shit done, so shut up,” Vhera stated without even looking at him, still focused on her makeup.

As she finished, she put the lipstick back in her small bag. “We should go,” Conciliator Arani declared.

A few minutes later, they were walking in the great, crowded shiny hall of the casino. They looked around, and, after a few seconds, Vhera spotted the tall, imposing figure of the Chiss they were looking for in the crowd.

She turned to General Hux.“I would ask you to try to be charming,” she whispered in a very low yet slightly irritated voice, raising her hand to fix the collar of his elegant black jacket. “But I know it's quite impossible, so, please, just try your best.”

He opened his mouth to respond, but Vhera didn't give him the time as she started to walk through the crowd to the Chiss merchant’s table.

“Conciliator Arani!” The big, blue alien greeted her with his raspy voice. His table, encircled by an elegant couch, was crowded with five or six different types of young, attractive female aliens. One of them, a barely-dressed Togruta, was sitting on his lap.

“Mr. Karu, I presume,” Vhera replied with a warm, calculated smile on her face, taking his hand in a firm handshake. “ It's a pleasure to meet you in person at last.”

As soon as General Hux reached them, Conciliator Arani introduced him properly. “Mr. Karu, may I present to you General Armitage Hux of the First Order.”

The Chiss looked at him with curious, intense, red eyes.

“General...” Karu stated with slightly irreverent amusement in his voice. “It's an honor to finally meet you. Your reputation precedes you.”

As General Hux sat on the couch, his brows arched slightly.

“I hope it's a good reputation then,” he affirmed, coldly but politely.

“An excellent one, actually.” The Chiss laughed in a very jovial yet dark way. “That Starkiller thing you made, damn! Five planets in one single shot, am I right? It still makes my dick hard when I think about it.”

Hux furrowed his brow, astonished by the quite peculiar compliment he had received.

Vhera Arani, on the other hand, looked absolutely comfortable in that environment, still smiling gently at the rude man in front of them.

“Oh, forgive me, where are my manners?” Karu asked rhetorically, his big, blue hand firmly on the naked thigh of the young Togruta in his lap. “Can I offer you something to drink?”

“Oh, yes please,” Vhera declared, making her voice slightly lower, smoother. 

Hux just nodded. 

A young Twi'lek approached the table in a skimpy outfit, waiting in silence to take their order. 

“So...” Karu said, “a proper Corellian whiskey for my friend the general, and for my lady friend here... maybe something lighter?” he asked Vhera, winking slightly.

“The whiskey is perfect, thank you, Mr. Karu,” she answered with a gentle smile. Her voice was soft as velvet.

Karu looked impressed. “Charming, attractive and also a heavy drinker. Working with this woman must be a constant temptation, my friend,” he said, looking at the general and raising his glass in the red-haired man's direction.

Hux’s jaw clenched for just one second. Conciliator Arani wasn't attractive, and she clearly wasn’t charming to him. He was about to respond in the most polite way he could, but he tensed up when he felt 

Arani's hand on his thigh. She laughed softly, an unexpectedly sensual laugh, without even looking at him, her eyes still on the Chiss.

“My colleague is far too respectable to be distracted by me, unfortunately,” Vhera declared, in a low, flirtatious voice, moving her hand away.

Just then, Hux figured it out. Conciliator Arani really was conscious of the peculiarity of her voice, and she knew how to use it well. Mr Karu couldn't take his eyes off her.

“Well, that's a shame, my friend,” the big, blue alien told Hux, in a too friendly way for him to appreciate it. “You should enjoy life more.”

As the young, attractive Twi'lek returned with their drinks, Karu snapped his fingers, getting the attention of a Zeltron girl near him. “Sweetheart, keep company with my friend the general, would you?”

The extremely attractive, red-skinned alien girl walked directly over to a quite perplexed General Hux, sitting unceremoniously on his lap.

The whole situation was absolutely irritating and inconvenient, but Conciliator Arani shot him an eloquent look, silently demanding him to go along with it. Hux pursed his lips briefly, putting his hand on the Zeltron girl's waist as casually as possible.

“I'm afraid we left you alone, conciliator,” the Chiss remarked in his husky voice, looking at her in a way Hux found quite disgusting. “My lap is big enough for you also, if you want.” 

Conciliator Arani took a careless sip of her drink, then she smiled at the big, blue man again.“I think I can manage that, Mr. Karu.” She snapped her fingers in the direction of a very pretty, green-skinned 

Twi'lek near them, and in a second, the alien girl was on her lap.

Hux couldn't help but look at her in a quite perplexed way. He was basically ignoring the Zeltron girl on him, but Arani looked totally confident, and Karu looked even more intrigued by her, if possible. 

Vhera drank down all of her remaining whiskey in one sip, then she put her empty glass in the hands of the Twi'Lek girl in her lap and spanked her bottom gently to made her stand up.

“Could you make me another one of these, honey?” she asked the girl smoothly. “Thank you very much.”  
As Hux looked at the Twi'lek girl walking to the bar, he could barely contain his shock, noticing that Arani's disgusting attitude was actually working. The big, blue alien in front of them looked quite turned on.

“By the way, gentlemen. Let's get back to business, shall we?” the conciliator said, interrupting Hux’s train of thought.

The woman took a small envelope from her bag, sliding it to the Chiss on the other side of the table.

Leann Karu took it in his hands and opened it with great care, looking briefly at the contents. His red eyes narrowed.

“That was... unexpected,” he declared, his raspy voice low.

“Oh, I know,” Vhera answered, lowering her silky voice as well. “But we're confident a brilliant businessman like you can keep it confidential.”

“Of course,” Karu replied, his red eyes still on the content of the envelope. “How many of them?” 

“At least eight,” Conciliator Arani stated.

The Chiss stayed silent for a moment, then he looked back at her. “One million two thousand credits. They'll be ready in three months.”

General Hux forced himself not to flinch, but at his side, Vhera laughed gently, an usually calculated, seductive laugh.

“Nice try, Mr Karu, but we both know that particular starfighter model will not be sold for that much in the near future. It's a shame to let those you've already built go to waste. I propose eight hundred thousand credits, and I want them in two weeks,” she declared, taking her new drink from the young Twi'lek who offered it.

Leann Karu raised his hand. In a second, all the girls around them were moving away. He moved himself closer across the table, looking at the conciliator with his intense red eyes. 

Vhera kept her confident gaze fixed on him.

“One million credits, five weeks,” he stated, firmly. 

The smug smile on the conciliator’s face grew wider.

“Nine hundred thousand credits, one month,” she said, “and this is our last offer.” 

The big, blue alien lowered his gaze, his jaw clenched, thinking.“You’ve got yourself a deal, conciliator,” he declared after a few seconds, lifting his hand to hers. 

The woman licked her lips briefly. “Excellent choice, Mr. Karu,” she said, her voice almost a purr, shaking his hand.

“Your lady friend here is a tough one, general,” Karu said, shaking Hux's hand too. “You're pretty lucky to have her sweet ass around. Now, if you’ll excuse me, those really nice ladies are waiting for   
me.”The big, blue Chiss rose from the couch, shooting them one last, mischievous smile.

As soon as he was far enough away, General Hux turned to Conciliator Arani.

“So this is your way of conducting business?” he spat, trying to keep his voice low. “That was outstandingly inappropriate.”

Vera shrugged her shoulders and finished her drink again.“Nevertheless, the work is done, and we got what we came for, didn't we?” she asked sarcastically, looking back at him.

“Your way of action was an embarrassment to the First Order!” Hux answered. “You acted like a whore hooking a client! And beside that, don't you dare touch me ever again!”

Conciliator Arani raised her hand to her face, massaging her left temple briefly.

“First of all, I wasn't acting like a whore. I didn't offer myself to Mr. Karu, but most near-human males lower their defenses and are easier to manipulate if they're aroused, and I just took advantage of that,   
in our best interests.” Her voice become a little angrier. “And second of all, it's not like I enjoyed touching you. It was just part of the attitude I had to maintain to make this plan go smoothly. For Force   
sake, my hand was on your thigh for one second; it's not like I was blowing you in public or something!”

General Hux inhaled sharply, his blue eyes wide open as he looked at her in absolute disgust, and maybe some hidden embarrassment. He pointed a finger at her face.“You are the grossest human being I've ever had the displeasure to meet!” he declared.

“You blew up five planets in one single shot, and I'm the gross one? Great. Why don't you try to remove that huge stick up your ass while I have another drink?” Vhera hissed, getting up from the couch and going away, leaving him speechless and beyond outraged.

***

As Conciliator Arani walked to the bar, she could feel the enraged stare of General Hux on her bare back. She ignored him, sitting on a stool.“Corellian whiskey please?” she asked kindly to the bartender, another pretty looking Twi'lek. “Double.”

“That sounds like a recipe for a pretty bad hangover,” a gentle male voice said beside her.

On the stool next to hers, a quite attractive man in his mid-thirties was looking at her with deep brown eyes, a charming smile on his face. She looked back at him, raising her eyebrow slightly.

He looked quite familiar; where had she seen him? Crap. The reports about the Resistance. That was Poe kriffin' Dameron, the kriffin' best pilot of the kriffin' Resistance. She tried to conceal her surprise by smiling back at him politely.

“I've done far worse,” she replied, her voice smooth as silk.

“Me too. I'm Poe,” he said, turning on top of his stool to take a better look at her. “May I pay for your drink?”

“Oh… Thank you...” she mumbled, trying desperately to hide her nervousness. “I'm Mira.” She improvised. She hated improvising.

“May I ask you why you're here, Mira?” Dameron asked, taking a sip of his drink. 

Vhera's mind went blank for a minute. Fuck. Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck. She took her drink in her hand and thanked the bartender with a grateful smile.

“My husband adores fathier races so...”

“And why are you not with him?” the pilot asked with his charming smile.

“I got bored, and I came here. Nothing special, really. And you? Why are you here?” she asked back, in a polite and vaguely flirty tone.

“Business,” he just replied.

“I see...” Vera swallowed a mighty swig of whiskey “...and how is your business going?” “Not as well as I hoped, unfortunately,” Poe answered with a little sigh.

Vhera thought that Dameron was probably there for the same exact reason they were: to buy weapons. She was absolutely sure he didn't recognize her. Thanks to her job, her face wasn't well known among the First Order enemies, but... fuck. The face of that ginger asshole a few tables away from them surely was.

The conciliator finished her drink rapidly.“I'm sorry about your business but... I really should go,” she said at once, smiling apologetically at him. “My husband is surely looking for me so... Thank you very much for the drink, Poe. It was a pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure was mine, Mira,” the pilot replied gently, with a slight nod. “See you around.” 

“See you around,” Vhera repeated.She turned her back on him, walking straight to the exit, her hands were shaking when she took the datapad. She typed a message to Hux as fast as she could.

“Get the kriff out of that kriffin’ casino right now. Meet me near the elevator, and try not to draw attention to yourself. It's kriffin' important, so don't kriff around.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always my gratitude goes to the amazing Winnie for being my beta :)
> 
> take a look at my Tumblr:  
> https://spiegatrixlestrange.tumblr.com/


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks to Winnie for being my amazing beta <3

Armitage Hux was walking through the corridor at a swift pace. Conciliator Arani had spoken to him that way for the last time. Not only did her message break any record of how many times someone could repeat kriff in one sentence, she was also giving him orders, and that wasn't going to happen. As soon as he got near the elevator, a hand grabbed his arm, dragging him inside. “What did I just say about touching?!” Hux almost shouted, looking at the clearly agitated conciliator in front of him.

The woman pushed the button for their floor and looked back at him as the elevator doors closed. “Shut up and listen to me,” she started, “ the kriffin’ Resistance is here.”

The General's mouth fell open. “What?!” 

“Commander Poe kriffin’ Dameron was drinking at the bar in the casino just a few minutes ago!”

“What the hell is he doing here?” Hux asked, mostly to himself. 

Vhera answered his question.“Business, he said.”

“He said?! Have you talked to him?!”The general's rage went over the hedge. 

“He offered me a drink while I was sitting at the bar,” the woman replied.

He looked at her with unprecedented distaste on his face. “Of course he did! How many of them were there?”

“I don't know!” Vhera answered. “All I saw was him!” 

Hux inhaled deeply, trying to put himself together. “Did he recognize you?” he asked.

“Of course not, it's not like I'm famous or something!” Conciliator Arani said harshly. “And he didn't seem to me like a diplomatic corps kind of guy. I only hope he didn't notice you; our escort is too small   
to manage a proper fight right now.”

“You're right,” The general stated in a breath, not even realizing he was actually agreeing with that woman. “We should get out of here before things get ugly.”

Vhera looked at him in shock for a brief second, vaguely surprised she was agreeing with him too. “Alright,” she nodded. “Alert the troopers, I'll go and prepare the ship. See you at the landing pad in ten minutes.”

***

Rey was keeping her sleepy eyes on her breakfast, in the hollow refectory of the Resistance’s new base on Dantooine. It wasn't that early in the morning, but the whole base was almost silent. The loss of General Organa was far too recent, and everyone around there was trying desperately to keep themselves busy. A gentle hand stroked her shoulder. As she looked up, she noticed Finn smiling gently at her, Rose at his side. The couple sat down in front of her, carrying their trays with them.

“Are you all right?” Finn asked kindly “You don't look that well...”

“Finn, don't be rude!” Rose hissed, not sounding threatening at all.

“It's ok...” Rey said, shrugging her shoulders. “I just have trouble sleeping these days.” 

The former stormtrooper lowered his voice, taking a look around.“The gray woman again?”  
Rey nodded. Finn was the only one she trusted to talk about the dream she kept having after the battle of Crait. Normally, it would have bothered her to talk about those private matters in front of Rose. 

She was sweet, cute and gentle, but she didn't know her that well. The young Jedi may have complained about Finn's big mouth, but she was really too tired to care.

“This whole thing gives me the creeps,” Finn said. “ It has been two months, right?”

Rey nodded again in silence, her eyes on her breakfast.

“Do you think he is behind this? Maybe she's some kind of Force spy or something...”

The young Jedi knew exactly what her friend was talking about. Kylo Ren didn't need a spy to follow her through the Force; their bond was doing a pretty decent job of that already, she thought bitterly. 

Luckily, Finn didn't know.

“That is not how the Force works...” the brown-haired woman replied with a little smile. She wasn't sure of that, of course, she still had so many things to learn, but she hoped Finn could be reassured by her answer.

“Is the gray woman in your dreams still staring at you like a creep?” Finn asked, almost casually. 

At last, Rey raised her eyes from her food. She looked almost surprised, as if she just then came to a realization. “Actually no... She talked to me, tonight.”

Finn's eyes shot open.

“No way! What did she say?”

The young Jedi remained silent for a moment, then she looked back at her tray with a blank look. “She said that she misses me.”

***

As he sat in the safety of their shuttle, Armitage Hux allowed himself a deep breath. Conciliator Arani walked out of the cockpit. She had found the time to change into her usual practical clothes. High heels and evening gowns couldn't be considered the proper outfit for an escape. “Alright, gentlemen! Let's get out of here!” she shouted before closing the door. As the engine started to roar, she sat in the chair in front of him, clearly nervous, almost scared. She was clearly out of her comfort zone.

“Is this your first encounter with the enemy?” General Hux asked coldly, looking at her. 

Vhera nodded, her hand covering her mouth.

“Well, calm down, conciliator. Your panic will not help any of us,” he stated, vaguely irritated. 

The woman just nodded again.

General Hux tried to relax in his seat, enjoying for a brief moment the relief he felt as she chose to shut up for once.

“And by the way, conciliator,” the man continued after a few seconds. “We're not fleeing.” 

“Of course not, general.” She spoke in a whisper, trying a little, nervous smirk. “This is just a cautious retreat.”

For the first time, Hux realized, they were on the same pace. “Precisely.” He smirked back. 

Everything seemed to go smoothly, but a few minutes after the shuttle got out of the atmosphere, both of them could feel an explosion, maybe near the shuttle, that made the whole ship tremble.

General Hux ran to the porthole to take a look outside. Shit. One of the two TIE fighters that were escorting them was gone; something must have hit it, leaving only some metal junk floating in space.

Another, stronger hit, nearer this time. He almost fell to the floor. As he looked back through the porthole now, he could distinctly see three incoming X-wing fighters.

“I want us in hyperspace, now!” he shouted to the cockpit.

“The hyperdrive is malfunctioning, general! The last hit damaged it!”

Hux heard a little squeal from Conciliator Arani, back in her seat. The man marched into the cockpit.

“How are the shields?” he asked, firmly. 

“Forty-seven percent, general.”

“Send a distress call to the Finalizer. They'll be here in twenty-two hours.”

“Twenty-two hours?!” An alarmed scream from Conciliator Arani came from the main room behind him. “In case you didn't notice, we're about to die right now! We don't have twenty-two hours! We should go back to Canto Bight! Now!”

“No, we shouldn't!” Hux shouted back “ If we get back to Canto Bight, they'll find us in a second, and they'll tear us apart. They have at least four fighters on us!” As he looked out of the main cockpit window, his eyes grew wider, and his hand pointed to the small, green moon orbiting the planet, just in front of them.“Full speed ahead to the little moon,” he ordered. “It's supposed to be inhabited. If we land in the forest, we may be able to play hide and seek for a while, buying just enough time for the Finalizer to come here.”

“This sounds like a shitty plan!” Conciliator Arani screamed again, from her seat in the main room.

“Holy kriff, could you please shut up?!”

Another hit, and an explosion filled the sky in front of the main window. General Hux found himself thrown away from the cockpit. He landed disastrously on the main room floor, just a few feet away from Vhera.

“Arani!” he shouted. His left shoulder hurt like hell, and he could hardly move. “Get your ass in that kriffing cockpit and find out what happened, now!”

The woman, clearly terrified and almost hyperventilating, nodded and ran into the cockpit.

The unconscious body of the pilot was still in his seat. She took a look around, panicking. 

“How are the shields?” Hux asked from behind her.

“Twenty percent!” she answered, clenching a fist. That wasn't good at all. Another hit, maybe two, and they would have been turned to stardust in a second.She gasped, looking at what was left of the hyperdrive control panel.“Hold on, I have an idea!” she said, loud enough so Hux could hear her. 

“Do you even know what you're doing?!” He sounded preoccupied.

“Sort of!”

Vhera walked out of the cockpit to find General Hux still on the ground. “What the kriff are you doing still there?!” she asked.

“I can't move. There's something wrong with my shoulder,” he hissed between his clenched teeth. “I need help.”

“So now you want me to touch you, right?” Vhera asked, clearly irritated.

“Shut up and help me! You...” The general didn't manage to finish his insult, and she knelt near him, putting her arms around his torso and his good arm around her shoulders.

“Now, this is going to hurt,” she announced, lifting him up without enough care. 

He held back a groan as they both stood up.

“To the escape pod, now!” Vhera continued. “We have only three minutes 'till this ship blows up.” 

“What?! How…?”

“Escape pod now, questions later,” Conciliator Arani stated firmly. As they reached the pod panel, she pushed a few buttons, and the hatch opened. They entered the small vehicle, and Vhera left him on a seat unceremoniously, looking back at the control console.

“What the hell have you done?” Hux asked. His voice was a pissed, pained growl.

“I overloaded the hyperdrive,” she declared, and with a firm push of her fingers on the control pad, the escape pod pushed itself out of the ship with a loud clanging noise, reaching open space.

“Why? How?”

“I thought that if the ship blew up, the fighters would get distracted by the explosion, and they won't know where to look. If we're lucky, those Resistance fuckers will think we died in the blast.” Strangely, he didn't complain.

“About the how... I have four older brothers. All of them work as mechanics on merchant freighters. The oldest, Ranar, tried to teach me over and over how to fix a broken hyperdrive, but you know.” She continued, finally sitting down, her breath heavy, “Mechanic wasn't my kind of thing. He joked that I was more likely for a hyperdrive to explode under my care than actually be repaired so...”

A quite big explosion made the escape pod tremble dangerously.

“Oh...” Vhera said, between pants. “It worked. Cool. Now let's get out of here.”

***   
The escape pod landed disastrously on the little green moon of Cantonica, crashing into the rotten green of a foggy, intricate forest, branches crashing against the hull, small animals running in terror from the site.

As the hatch opened, a surprised scream, full of relief, was heard from inside the pod. “We're alive!” Vhera Arani couldn't believe her words.

“Shut the hell up.” The suffering voice of General Hux annihilated her enthusiasm in a moment. 

She didn't reply, removing her seat belt and trying to get up. The pod had landed on the edge of a little depression in the soil, so the floor was a little bit sloped, making it harder for her to get out. The woman reached for the exit, looking around, then her eyes went up, looking for any sign of X-wing fighters in the sky around them. Luckily, for now, there wer none.

“How do you feel?” she asked her traveling companion. General Hux, to be fair, looked like shit. There was blood running from a minor wound trough his ginger hair, and a bruise had painted red his strong left cheekbone. 

He clenched his mouth before answering.“I think I've dislocated my shoulder. Moving is a pain in the ass, but I'll survive.” 

The conciliator raised her brow. Pain had made him less rigid, at least.

“We need to move.” he breathed, trying to get up. H winced in pain. “If the Resistance realizes we survived, they'll come down here and look for the pod.”

Vhera came closer, offering both of her hands in help, but he jerked away nervously. 

“No. I'm fine,” he hissed.

Oh, here he was, the asshole again.

She breathed slowly, trying to calm down. They didn't have time for this. Vhera didn't want to die on this forsaken moon, after all. Cooperation was the most important thing right now.

“Listen.” She looked firmly into his eyes. Her voice came out soft and silky, caressing his ears. “We're in an uncivilized, incredibly damp and probably hostile environment, our enemy may be looking for us, we won't be rescued for the next twenty hours, you're injured and I'm totally terrified.” She hesitated, just for one second. “We really don't like each other, I get it, but we need to get along for now. As soon as we're somewhere safe, we will go back to hating each other as usual.”

Hux didn't reply. He just grabbed her hand, pulling himself up without even looking her in the face. Only a painful moan came out of his lips.

“Good choice,” she whispered gently, putting his good arm around her shoulders, her hand locked around his side to help him stand.

“You really don't have to do that,” the general said as they walked hesitantly out of the pod. 

“Do what?”

“That cute voice thing you do to manipulate people,” he replied, his eyes barely open, trying to stand the pain as composedly as possible. “I'm not one of the idiots you can mold as you please, so stop it.”  
Vhera gave him a sideways look, a really perplexed one. Cute? What the hell?

“I didn't do anything. I was just trying to be kind,” she stated calmly, keeping a slow pace so she wouldn't rush him “You're injured, and we are in a pretty shitty situation. There is no reason to make it worse by being a bitch.”

“That is really considerate of you, conciliator, but there is no need,” he said back, trying hard not to mind the ache from his shoulder.

She stopped, looking straight in his eyes with slight amusement.

“Listen. We survived a Resistance attack and crashed on a planet together. I think you can call me Vhera.”

Hux stared back. Leaving formalities behind was clearly out of his comfort zone, but since they had spent the last two days swearing at each other and surviving near-death experiences, her statement didn't sound so odd to him after all.

“Fine, Vhera.” The name didn't come out that smoothly the first time. “We need to find refuge, and we have to try to fix my shoulder. Right now, we're definitely too slow, and we may need to run.”

“What?! Buddy, listen, I'm not a medic. How should we fix it?” 

General Hux looked at her with vague, perplexed distaste.

Vhera hesitated.“Was buddy too much?”

“Yeah, definitely. It's Armitage, by the way. Keep to that. I'm not your buddy.” 

The woman just nodded, looking away.

***

They had left Canto Bight at night, but the sun was just then starting to set on that little green moon. Without any flashlight or other light sources, it would have been a good idea to find some place to spend the night. Unfortunately, the forest was pretty unwelcoming. The soil was irregular, covered in dead leaves, roots and rotten branches, and after three hours or so of slow walking, they had managed to get away far enough from the pod, entering deeper into the forest. A few steps away, Vhera noticed there was something looking like a cave, except it wasn't. What was left of a huge tree was standing there, the massive stump scattered in a very lucky hollow form. It wasn't tall enough for Hux to stand up inside of it, but it seemed large enough for them to sit down inside.

Vhera nodded to the giant, dead tree, trying to get her companion's attention. 

Hux wasn't breathing that well, and he was sore. Every step was like a dagger stabbing into his shoulder. He looked carelessly at the tree, nodding absently, his face twisted in evident pain. They walked straight in front of the old, rotten stump. The woman knelt, helping him sit just in front of that unexpected refuge the forest was offering them.

“How do you feel?” she asked, looking at him without standing yet. 

“Sore, and pissed by this whole situation,” Hux replied. 

“Makes sense,” she commented blankly. “How can I help?”

He looked at her sideways. Why was she being so nice? That incredibly irritating woman had really been too nice since they landed. That must have been a tactic of some sort, to obtain something, clearly. What did she want? His gratitude, to feel free to use it to her advantage? Or was she just trying not to feel bad about herself? Come to think of it, they had ended up in this ridiculous situation because of her and her stupid, slutty, diplomatic mission to get those stupid fighters for her stupid plan. Maybe she felt guilty; maybe she was trying to make him forget about how outraged and angry he was at her for her inappropriate behavior. Maybe she was acting out of fear for the obvious consequences of her actions, for the wrath, his wrath, that would come with those consequences. Whatever it was, her behavior was making him slightly uncomfortable. 

The look on her face was definitely too gentle, too kind, to be sincere. She didn't stop looking at him, waiting for an answer to her question, maybe. Conciliator Arani, Vhera, actually looked slightly worried, her mouth barely open, her brown, messed-up hair falling in her face. That face wasn't that bad, after all. There was nothing ugly about it. Maybe she wasn't the most attractive woman in the galaxy, but something, maybe just that worried, gentle look, was making her look almost pretty. 

Realizing consciously what he was thinking about made Hux's mouth clench, looking away. What the kriff, Armitage? he asked himself. She maybe wasn't that hideous, but so what? She was still a manipulative bitch; it was her job to be so. She couldn't be trusted. Conciliator Arani was clearly up to something.

He tried to get out of the silly tuxedo jacket he was still wearing. Unfortunately, his shoulder protested heatedly against that decision, sending a bolt of unmerciful pain down his spine. 

Her hands moved forward.“Wait...” Vhera said gently. “Stay still, and let me handle this.”

Kindness, again. Hux didn't protest as she carefully removed that incredibly uncomfortable layer of clothing.

“We need to take care of this shoulder. Follow my instructions,” he started, his good hand fighting against the buttons of his shirt.

“Do you want me to-”

“Yes, please,” the man sighed in frustration. As her hand raised to undo his buttons, he realized this was definitely too intimate for his tastes. Luckily, she didn't look like she was enjoying herself either.

His incredibly pale skin popped out from under his opened shirt; he could feel a cold breeze blowing through that humid, smelly forest on his chest. She removed the second layer of clothing without a word.

“Turn me around. Look at the shoulder, and tell me if you can see a bruise over it.”

She nodded, standing up quickly. The skin looked fine. The shoulder was clearly out of place, she didn't need to be a doctor to notice that, but at least there were no bruises. On the other hand, she noticed just how thin he actually was. If Vhera had wanted to, she could have counted his vertebrae just scrolling a finger against his back.

“No bruises,” she declared.

“Excellent.” The general sounded relieved. “Come here in front of me, please.”

She obeyed, reaching for him and kneeling as he made room for her by spreading his long legs.

“Now you have to take my forearm, and stay perfectly still. I will push myself against you to put my shoulder back in place.”

“What?!” The conciliator didn't seem so happy about that. “This seems like a bad idea. Have you at least done this before?”

“Yes,” Hux nodded. “Back at the academy, when I was younger, a couple of times. I sucked at hand-to-hand combat at first, so...” Shut up, you idiot, he said to himself. “Anyway... I will probably scream because it's going to be very painful. You don't have to get away. You have to remain perfectly still, you understand?”

Vhera nodded nervously. She clenched her fingers firmly around his forearm, his hand locked between her elbow and rib cage.

“Very well, let's do this.”

He closed his eyes and moved forward, violently. A painful, loud growl ran out from his lips while his shoulder bones moved back in place with a horrific sound, taking his breath away. Hux's head crushed on her shoulder, heavy with both pain and relief, breathing loudly, unable to move for a few seconds, his ginger hair scattered on his face.

“Are you alright?” she whispered, basically in his ear, awaking him from the numbness of the moment.

“Better,” the man said between deep breaths. He lifted his forehead from her shoulder, slow and exhausted.

Feeling his breath on her neck was a little disturbing, Vhera thought with a shiver. She moved away slowly, trying to not look as stiff as she actually was, taking his clothes and helping him put them back on.

It was starting to get cold out there.

“We should get inside,” Hux suggested, managing to get up by himself. His shoulder was still sore, and his arm still wasn’t moving properly, but being able to stand up without further help was a relief.

Conciliator Arani nodded absently, making her way into the empty belly of the old, dead tree. The general followed her in complete silence, lowering his head to fit in. There was not as much space as it seemed from outside, but they could still manage to sit down, maybe even lie down and get some sleep.

The woman looked around.

“You're the injured one,” she stated after a while, her eyes on him again. “You make yourself comfortable, I'll adapt.”

So much gentleness could have been irritating in other circumstances, but he was too tired and too sore to get mad.

“You really don't need to...” he muttered, but Vhera stopped him, looking at him with a determined look on her face, a finger pointed at his chest.

“You're welcome, now sit,” she affirmed, as if the decision was already made.

With a huff, the man sat down clumsily, crossing his legs on the musk beneath them. 

The conciliator waited for him to find a good position, and then sat by his side. That was not particularly comfortable, but she'd rather not lean on him, not even a little bit. There had been more than enough unwanted touching between them for one day.

They stayed like that for a while, an awkward silence between them, both of them looking everywhere but at the other.

“Are you cold?” Vhera asked then. She had never been a quiet person; she actually hated silence. Speaking was her job for a reason. Usually, she was able to solve every problem by talking her way out of it. Speaking was also an excellent way to be sure she had control over herself and, sometimes, control over those around her. This time, it was not about being in control; it was more about being   
practical. He was wearing that silly, elegant suit he’d had on before leaving Canto Bight. Probably his coat was still there, with his uniform, in his hotel room, a planet away.

“Not that much,” Hux replied calmly, but his body said otherwise as he suddenly shivered. He pursed his lips. Surely he was not the type of man who was comfortable with appearing weak, not even in that particularly extreme situation.

The conciliator rolled her eyes. She got up a little, just enough to take off her coat. 

“What the hell are you doing?” he asked roughly, his eyes wide open.

“I'm just trying to be practical. We have to share this coat, or one of us will get frostbite before sunrise.”

“No one will get frostbite. It's not that cold, and we'll never fit into that coat together.”

“We'll squeeze in. Armitage, seriously...” She didn't show a single drop of embarrassment on her face. “I'm just trying to be rational. You're my colleague, this is my mission and your well-being is my responsibility. We need to keep our body temperatures at a decent level, or else we may not be able to run or be responsive enough if we need to be.”

Decent. What an odd choice of words. There was nothing decent about their particular situation. General Hux tried to hide a vague eye twitch. All of this was absolutely absurd and totally inappropriate. 

That body heat thing, the landing, that absolutely inconvenient mission at the Casino, her brand new kindness toward him. Armitage Hux could handle any kind of hostile behavior much better, but he couldn't remember the last time someone had been kind to him just for the sake of being kind. Another flash of cold made his shoulder hurt a little. Shit. His nostrils spread open with a deep, nervous breath.

“Fine.”

Hux turned on his good side, laying down stiffly and slowly, using his good arm as a pillow under his head. The general looked at her, a cold, determined look. He had no intention to appear as uncomfortable as he actually was. Embarrassment, like many other feelings, was something he couldn't allow himself to feel right now. He was a fucking general of the First Order, and for a man in his position, there was no room for embarrassment, shame, or for that strange tingle he felt in his stomach as soon as she moved to lie down next to him. Her hand rose, gently putting a side of her woolen coat on his sore shoulder.

For a second, Vhera hesitated, not knowing where to put her hands as she came closer, pushing herself nearer to fit under the fabric. She let her harms fall awkwardly on her own side, the crown of her head barely touching his chin. Surprisingly, it didn't feel that unpleasant. He was warm, and after a while, she could feel his breath calming. He smelled good, even after all that they'd been through, she realized, almost astonished. It wasn't the smell she expected from him, like overly priced cologne or something. Instead, his skin smelled clean, like after a shave.

Vhera closed her eyes, relaxing maybe for the first time since they’d left the Finalizer. She breathed out slowly, the tip of her nose touching his collarbone through his shirt. She felt him swallow nervously.

“Armitage...” the woman said, in a gentle, almost sleepy tone. “Why don't you try to relax? Just a little...”

Her voice, her silky, low voice, was the thing about her he found most appealing. Hearing that voice so close, so calm and relaxed, made his jaw tremble slightly.

“I'm relaxed,” he answered, but his response came out a little more tense than he wanted it to be.

Vhera kept her eyes closed. “No,you're not.”

“Well, excuse me if I'm not that comfortable with being this close to a woman I don't like at all.” The response came out harsher than he had planned. In the precise moment he spoke, he realized he was lying. Yes, he felt quite uncomfortable, but being that close to her was almost likable.

“Hey! It's not like I'm having fun here!” Vhera hissed back, raising her eyebrows. “Besides, you're far too skinny. I can feel your bones through your clothes, and they're hurting me!”

Hux's jaw clenched in irritation, lowering his face enough to look her in the eyes.

“Well, since we're being honest, Vhera, you have a muffin top,” was the only thing he managed to say.

Instead of the annoyed and maybe outraged response he expected, Conciliator Arani burst out laughing, looking back at him. Her laugh felt genuine, warm and soft, gentle and inviting and even… sensual? Yes, sensual, definitely. Not that fake, artificial sensuality she had shown to that disgusting Chiss back on Canto Bight, a more natural, gentler, maybe not conscious one.

Armitage swallowed again, finding himself looking at her lips.

As soon as Vhera realized that very specific kind of tension on his face, her smile burned out quickly. Reading people was her job, after all, and his body was giving her very clear signals, even if the man was doing his best to hide them.

“Armitage.” Conciliator Arani spoke as calmly as possible, trying to regain control over the situation, and also over herself. She didn't realize she was breathing faster than usual. “What are you doing?”

“What do you mean?” his voice came out huskier than he expected. The general lifted his eyes to meet hers.

“I just...” She seemed quite nervous. It was her turn to look at his barely parted lips. “This is not a good idea...”

“I don't know what you're talking about,” he breathed.

Vhera felt the man's breath on her mouth and froze. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. As she was desperately looking for something to say, his lips crashed into hers in a nervous, maybe confused, and definitely intense kiss. The woman was in such panic she could hear her own heart hammering in her chest. It would have been a good idea to push him away, to ask him what the fuck was he thinking, to ask him why but... She was kind of liking what he was doing, Vhera realized in shock. Her lips responded to his attention in a total lack of control. The woman almost jumped out of her skin when she felt his hand on her waist, pushing her closer against his body. 

It had really been a long, long time since Conciliator Arani had allowed anyone to get that close to her, to hold her that way; maybe too much time. That was probably the reason she felt intoxicated, frightened, flattered and definitely tempted, tempted to not stop him at all. Tempted to not protest, to not hit him in the head and force him to back off, as she should have been doing. He wasn't gentle at all, almost devouring her mouth, but no matter how much she tried, she had to admit to herself that she didn't mean to stop him.

Hux's mind had gone blank since they'd stared kissing. In that moment all he could think about was how her gracious, silky voice would sound if he was inside of her. As they broke the kiss for a moment, both trying to catch their breath, he nodded absently.

“You're right, this is a very bad idea,” the general growled against her mouth.

“It's the worst idea in the long history of bad ideas,” Vhera groaned, unceremoniously putting a hand in his ginger mane, dragging him in for another kiss.

Armitage allowed himself a little smirk.

“We should stop,” he whispered hungrily while his hands were taking care of her belt. 

“Definitely,” she nodded, helping him to lower her pants down her thighs.

“Turn around.” 

“What?”

“Do it.”

Vhera turned on her other side, her back pressed into his chest. He moved his hand from her to fight against his own belt. In a few seconds she could feel his excitement pushing against her backside. When it happened, she found herself far less ready than she expected, both physically and mentally. Pain and pleasure mixed furiously in her utterly confused brain.

Armitage's hand ran under her shirt, touching her unceremoniously as he started to move. It was rough, intense, fast. His face was drowning in her hair, enjoying the feeling of her beyond measure. As she started to moan, gently at first, her voice sounded even more arousing than he expected.

But he wanted to feel more, to hear more. His pace turned frantic, and he breathed loudly, muffling his own pleasure against the skin of her neck.

After a while she almost started squealing, waves of heat and relish spiking down her spine, dragging her to the apex. Vhera reached it strongly, her whole body shaking in surprise and relief. Hux followed her soon after with a loud, feral growl that left him breathless.

The woman closed her eyes, trying to calm her pulse with long breaths. Soon the bliss of the moment was ruined by an instantaneous flash of regret on her face. In the not-that-long history of her personal poor decisions, having sex with this particular men in this particular circumstance was surely ranked pretty high.

Armitage moved away in silence, laying down on his back, one hand casually on his forehead. His face looked relaxed, but his brain was just now starting to process what had happened. That had been unexpected, intense, astonishing and absolutely the wrongest thing to do, he realized, putting his pants back on.

Vhera was still on her side, showing only her back to him. She put herself together as well, putting her clothing back in place. They both stayed like that for a while, concentrated on pondering that really enjoyable mistake, then Hux leaned back over her, putting her side of the coat on her shoulder.

“Well...” Her hesitant voice broke the silence, in the end. “That was… stupid.” 

“I know,” Armitage admitted, closing his eyes.

***

When Vhera woke up, she could feel the warmth of Armitage's body against her back. He was still sleeping deeply; she could feel his deep breaths in her hair. When the thought of what had  
happened the night before reached her, she cursed herself silently, with clear disappointment on her face. Conciliator Arani moved slowly away from under the coat that was covering them both, trying desperately not to wake him up. She needed fresh air, a long walk and a place where she could scream at the top of her lungs without being heard.

She walked out from the hollow tree, leaving the general to his sleep, and started walking in no particular direction, fists clenched and a storm of nervousness and regret roaring in her mind. 

That was fucked up. That really was fucked up. She only hoped that the huge mistake they had shared last night would remain in the past, ignored in the future as if it never happened. Hoping from the bottom of her heart that her life on the Finalizer would not become a living hell, Conciliator Arani ended up in a small clearing among the trees. Inhaling deeply, she closed her eyes and felt the mild warmth of the sunlight on her face. She was overthinking things, Vhera tried to convince herself. There was nothing to worry about. Armitage Hux seemed to be a cold and distant man by nature, so he would probably just ignore what happened, and they both could keep hating each other as always.

When she opened her eyes, she found another pair of eyes looking at her from across the clearing. A tall woman in a long gray robe was standing still among the trees.

Conciliator Arani tried not to freak out. The moon was uninhabited, as far as she knew. “Am I too early, or too late?” asked the other woman, slowly walking towards her. 

As she stepped into the direct sunlight, Vhera noticed the stranger seemed older than she was, in her forties, with a long, pleasant face riddled with freckles and tiredness. Her deep brown eyes looked incredibly familiar. She was holding what looked like an old, black staff in her left mechno-hand. Vhera's jaw dropped as soon as she noticed what was hanging from the other woman's belt. It looked like a lightsaber, the hilt almost identical to the one in the possession of Supreme Leader Ren. Conciliator Arani stepped back, understanding just now what that woman had actually asked her. “What?”

“Nevermind,” the stranger answered. Her voice was deep and gentle, and a little smile appeared on her face as her eyes fixed themselves on Vhera. “You're so young now...”

The conciliator furrowed her brow. Her body was tense, doing her best to fight her fight or flight response.

“Do we know each other?”

“You don't know me yet, but you will soon. Me? I've known you my whole life.” 

Vhera hesitated, openly confused.“That doesn't make any sense.”

“I agree if you think about time in a quite conventional way.” 

“What?!”

The stranger moved forward, and the woman couldn't help but step back again. “I'm not here to hurt you, Vhera. I never could.”

“Why? Who are you?! How do you know my name?” 

“I'm no one, yet. What year is this?”

Vhera couldn't believe her ears. Was that some kind of joke? “Thirty-five ABY,” she answered.

The stranger shot a satisfied glare at the staff in her hand.“I will not be for some more time. I'll be conceived at the end of this year.” 

Perplexity spread all over the conciliator's face.“This doesn't make any sense.”

“It will. Don't worry,” the stranger answered with a smile. “So tell me… By this time, you should still be with the First Order, right?”

Vhera’s eyes shot open; now she was annoyed. “Of course I am,” she declared with a hint of pride, “and I have no plans of switching sides anytime soon.”

“This is irrelevant, now,” the other woman said, glaring again at the staff in her hand. “I have a message for Ren. He will soon be in danger. Soon the Dark Masters will know what he has done, and he must prepare himself. At the beginning of next year, just a few days after he and my mother will conceive me, the Dark Masters will kill him and take his place. Then they'll kill my mother... you...”

The other woman's voice sounded hurt.

Vhera's body stiffened, overwhelmed by disbelief and irritation. None of that made any sense. The stranger was telling her… she was Ren's daughter? How could this ragged forty-year-old appearing from nowhere be the child of the probably not even thirty-year-old Supreme Leader of the First Order? The attempt on the Supreme Leader's life could be plausible, but who the fuck were those Dark Masters were supposed to be? All of that was absolutely ludicrous. The woman was totally crazy, and dangerously crazy, considering the lightsaber hanging from her belt.

The stranger kept staring at her, but then she closed her eyes with a little sob. Her hand, the one that held the staff, trembled lightly.“I'm sorry...” she said, gentleness in her voice. “I've said too much. This must be very confusing.”

“It's just... totally unbelievable.”

“I know, but...” The strange woman's voice died in her throat. Her mechno-hand was trembling openly now, her eyes getting redder; two little trickles of blood left her nostrils. She looked up and smiled.

“Just in time. Please, tell Ren to be careful, to prepare himself.”

Vhera raised her eyes to the sky above them. The shiny white form of the Finalizer appeared from hyperspace just outside the atmosphere of that little green moon. The air became electric, a sudden wind blowing harshly into her face.

Unnatural stormy clouds had appeared above their heads. Conciliator Arani fell to her knees when a powerful lightning struck quite near her.

“I'm sorry,” the stranger shouted, her voice muffled by the noise of the wind. “I'm out of time. I really need to go. Please take care of him; be sure he's safe. I'll find you again...”  
Lightning strikes were multiplying in the area at an alarming rate. Terrified, Vhera tried to get back on her feet, but the devastating pain of a powerful bolt spiked through her body, knocking her unconscious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The woman in gray has a peculiar artifact in her possession. http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Darkstaff  
> Obviously, in this timeline, the Darkstaff has not been destroyed. Well, timelines are relative when you can travel through time.


	4. Chapter 4

When Vhera woke up, she found the sight of the black durasteel ceiling on top of her quite comforting. She was in the medbay of the Finalizer, probably, and her body was covered in a sterile hospital gown. As she tried to rise from the bed, a spike of pain crushed her chest, leaving her breathless.

“You shouldn't move,” an deep, emotionless voice said, a voice she recognized immediately. “You have two broken ribs.”

“Supreme Leader, I...” Her breath broke again, her mouth clenched in pain. Vhera lay down on her bed again. Ren moved towards her, slowly, in his usual black cloak. His eyes were on her, basically expressionless. He looked even more imposing from Vhera's point of view.

“The medical droids said you were hit by multiple violent electric shocks. Your heart wasn't beating when General Hux found you,” the dark-sider said. “He had to keep you alive through CPR until the rescue team came. It took a while, so your ribs were fractured due to the continued push.”

For a long moment, Conciliator Arani looked quite shocked. The thought of Armitage being capable of keeping her heart beating long enough to break her ribs in the process was... bizarre. Even more bizarre, though, was the presence of the Supreme Leader himself in the room with her. “If you need the mission report, my lord...”

“I already got that from General Hux,” Ren explained, interrupting her, but not in a rude way. “You were unconscious for three days. He declared your methods where unorthodox but functional.”

Unorthodox… That was an understatement, considering Hux's reaction to their meeting with the Chiss merchant in Canto Bight. If not for the mission report, why was he there then?

“We need to talk about what happened on that moon,” Ren stated blankly, only to see her clearly gasp. 

What?! That?! Did he know?! How did he know?! She turned red to her ears.

Obviously, he noticed.“There is something you wish to talk to me about, Conciliator Arani?” he asked. He wasn't sarcastic, so maybe he actually didn't know.

Vhera looked away, trying to regain her composure. “Nothing in particular, Supreme Leader, please go on.” 

“Do you have any experience with Force users?”

“Actually, you're the only one I know of, my lord,” she said, realizing just a second later she was wrong. The woman. The woman in the woods.

“I felt a considerable disturbance in the Force as soon as the Finalizer reached the Cantonica system. When you were taken on board, you had a strong Force residue on you, like you were attacked by a particularly strong Force user.”

“It wasn't an attack, I think.” Vhera hesitated. “But I can't know for sure. Something happened, but I don’t think I'm competent enough in the matter to explain it properly.”  
The woman was replaying that scene in her mind, trying to process what had actually happened. When she noticed Ren's hand coming near her head, her whole body stiffened.“Do you intend to read my mind?” she asked nervously.

Kylo Ren's hand stopped in mid-air, an eyebrow raised in vague disappointment. “Shouldn't I?” His voice went deeper, caught between perplexity and disappointment.

The woman opened her mouth, trying to hide a hint of panic.

“I'd rather you didn’t,” she admitted.

His jaw was clenching now, in clear irritation. “There's something you would like to hide from me?”

Shit shit shit. She wasn't happy at all with the idea of Supreme Leader Ren taking a look at her most recent mistakes. She wasn't happy at all.

“I've got nothing to hide, my lord. There's just something personal I'd like to keep for myself.” 

“I don't care about your personal matters,” he spat in a sudden burst of rage. “I'm your Supreme Leader, and I can do what I want, Conciliator Arani.”

She closed her eyes, inhaling sharply. “As you wish, my lord. My apologies.”She could feel that numb, disturbing pain again in her head as he started roaming in her mind. It took more time and probably more effort this time; certainly it hurt more. She could hardly breathe. When Ren moved his hand away, Conciliator Arani sighed in relief.

He was staring at her, his dark eyes wide open in clear, nervous shock. “You met her...” he only managed to mutter.

For a brief second, Supreme Leader Ren looked almost… vulnerable. His hands were trembling, and this time, he was the one who looked away. 

Many questions came to Vhera, most of them would have led her to certain death, so she remained silent.

“She knew you,” the dark-sider murmured, more to himself than to her. “Did you ever see her before?”

“You know I haven’t. And you?”

A silent burst of rage made her bed tremble. Some medical tools flew from the cabinet beside to the wall, crashing loudly. She tried to contain a frightened cry.

“That is none of your businesses, conciliator,” He hissed, baring his teeth. 

Vhera forced herself up, trying to sit, a small sigh of pain escaping her mouth.

“You know perfectly well that this is now my business too. I've been dragged into it, whether I want it or not.” For the first time, her gentle voice dared to sound rough while she was speaking to him. “She said she'll find me again. A woman came to me talking like she was from the future and shit, claiming to be your daughter! Asking me, Force knows why, to warn you, to help you!” She didn't mention all the “take care” part; it would really have been too much. “Don't you think I'm already far too involved in this shit?!”

For a long second, Vhera firmly believed Supreme Leader Ren was about to kill her. His eyes were burning, full of uncontrollable rage; they were feral and saturated by an anger so deep, she had never seen anything like it before. Realizing she was about to cry out of fear, all she found the strength to do was hide her face between her hands with a frustrated sob.

For some reason she couldn't understand, Ren said nothing, did nothing. He turned his back on her in complete silence, walking with a furious pace out of the medbay.

***

A few days later, Conciliator Arani was out of the medbay. Her protocol droid greeted her with relief when she reached her own quarters again. For a few days more, the woman avoided public spaces. She was still very pale, and breathing still hurt a little. Supreme Leader Ren kept ignoring her. She hadn't heard anything from him since what had happened in the medbay, but that was probably a good thing. 

That time, she admitted, maybe because of the medications, because of the fear, she really had overreacted, at her own risk. Her assignment on board the Finalizer hadn't been revoked yet, and that was a good sign, maybe, but now another problem was knocking at her door. The thought of Hux saving her, keeping her alive, had tormented her a lot in the last days.

Not that there was anything to overthink about that, but somehow, for some reason, Vhera just couldn't stop thinking about it. Would it have been appropriate to thank him? After all, he saved her life, and with stoic determination, considering the numb pain she could still feel in her ribs.

Conciliator Arani found herself walking to his office near the main bridge, and before she could rethink that impulsive decision, she was already knocking at the door.

There was no audible answer, but in a second the door slid open, and she went in. Armitage Hux was sitting at his desk, his uniform and his hair impeccable as always, his eyes fixed on a datapad in front of him. After a second, he raised his head and looked at her, expressionless.

“You're on your feet,” he stated blankly.

“I am,” she nodded, then a slight hesitation. “Is this a bad time?” 

Without blinking, the general moved his datapad away.

“No. Speak.” His voice was formal and distant, but Vhera didn't mind. Actually, that made her feel better. She moved closer to his desk, slowly, still keeping an appropriate distance.

“Supreme Leader Ren told me about what happened when I passed out on that moon,” she breathed. “I just wanted to thank you.”

In General Hux's mind, the memory of what happened was pretty clear and vivid. Waking up alone in the hollow tree, regretting his lack of control the night before in the moment he opened his eyes. 

Walking out of there, taking a look around, no sign of Vhera. Irritation, a numb feeling of annoyance for her need to walk away, immediately repressed. A roar of thunder quite near, unnaturally stormy clouds less than a quarter mile away. A scream, a painful scream, her voice reaching him through the storm. Running like hell toward the scream, hoping anxiously that his brain was just playing tricks on him. Finding her in a clearing among the trees, her body on the ground, smoke from her hair and her clothes. Kneeling at her side, shaking her shoulder vehemently, her head falling backward, lifeless. 

Realizing she wasn't breathing, realizing her heart wasn't beating. Shock, panic, horror. Then rage, then firm determination. Both of his hands together pressing against her chest, rhythmically, commanding her heart to beat again, his mouth on her lips, pushing air in her lungs again and again. Going on for a time that seemed endless, ignoring the pain of his overstressed shoulder. The purr of the engine announcing a shuttle was landing nearby to take them to safety. Relief.

He shook his head slightly, realizing his mind was drifting.

“You don't need to thank me,” he replied, formal as usual. “That was only my duty.” Armitage knew that wasn't entirely true; in that mission, she was in charge. Her well-being wasn't his direct responsibility. Nevertheless, she was a member of the First Order, and he was her general. That was enough to make her life worth saving, that was enough for making her life his to save. Or at least that was what he had kept telling himself the last few days.

“Nevertheless...” Vhera hesitated again. Two times in one conversation, that wasn't a good sign. “Thank you... I owe you my life.”

“You owe me nothing, Vhera,” the man replied politely. 

She looked away, wisely ignoring her will to reply.

“There's something else you wish to talk to me about?” The general's voice hit her in the guts. “N-not really.” the woman admitted.

A brief silence then he spoke again, distant and formal as usual.

“I think we should address what happened on that moon.” Between us, he was tempted to say, but there was no need to say that. She knew exactly what he meant. 

Conciliator Arani, luckily, didn't lose her nerve. She just nodded blankly.

“I trust we both can be extremely professional about it and consider it an accident to never repeat again.”

It felt like she finally could breathe again. That was a very good idea.

“Nevertheless,” he continued with his usual composure, “in case that accident may result in unwanted consequences, we should consider the proper medical procedure to avoid an eventual long-term outcome.”

Vhera raised her eyebrows. Well, that was a pretty straightforward way to put it, a very rational, logical way to put it. Nevertheless, she could feel a twist in the pit of her stomach.

“You really don't have to worry about that,” she declared, forcing herself to remain as emotionless as possible. “I cannot get pregnant. I'm sterile.” The woman expected to see relief on his face, but there wasn't any. There was no trace of any emotion on the general's face, actually.

“Are you sure?”

“Definitely. I tried to conceive for two years when I was married,” Conciliator Arani declared without flinching, like she wasn't even talking about her life, maybe even the worst part of her life. “I was diagnosed with sterility after that. Otherwise I wouldn't have allowed you to...” To come inside me, she was about to say, but she preferred to keep the conversation at a more detached level.

Armitage Hux nodded. If he was overwhelmed by that amount of personal information, he didn't show it.“That could have been a distraction due to the heat of the moment,” he considered, his eyes suddenly on the datapad in front of him.

“Of course.” Vhera nodded. “You had every right to ask.”

“Since you're here...” General Hux changed the subject, suddenly, and to her great relief. “We need to ratify a treaty in the Anoat system. The First Order is interested in acquiring mining rights in Bespin. Would you like to take care of that?”

“Of course,” Conciliator Arani replied. “I'll ask for permission to go immediately.” “Excellent.” Hux nodded. “Now if you will excuse me, work awaits.”

“Of course,” Vhera repeated blankly, like a broken holorecord. “Have a nice day, Armitage,” she said formally, going for the door.

“You too, Vhera.”

***

The corridors of the Finalizer looked endless, and Vhera was walking through them with a nervous look on her face. She had sent a message to Supreme Leader Ren's holopad a few minutes before, asking for a meeting to submit her request to leave for the Anoat System. The only answer she received shortly after was a brief and totally unexpected “Meet me in my quarters.” That was odd to say the least, and she didn't like it. With the clear feeling she'd end up dead in a trash compactor before the end of the cycle, she ended up in front of the Supreme Leader's door.   
It opened before she could even knock, of course. Conciliator Arani stepped in in silence. The main room, definitely not luxurious and without much furniture, only the essentials, was empty.

She cast a glance at the desk next to her, crowded with datapads about time travel theories and stuff like that. That wasn't a good sign.

“Supreme Leader?” she called hesitantly.

No response, just a small sound of glass hitting glass. Vhera frowned, walking slowly towards the noise from another room. As soon as she reached the open door, she froze.. That was really unexpected, like really, really, really unexpected.

The imposing figure of Kylo Ren was sitting on the floor at the foot of his bed. One hand in his hair, the other one holding a glass filled with something that looked like liquor. A bottle of Corellian Whiskey next to his bare feet. Most of his regular dark outfit was scattered around the room, leaving him wearing a pair of black pants and a simple, long-sleeved black shirt. His face looked absent and tired in the half-light. His eyes were fixed on the emptiness in front of him, his pupils dilated by alcohol intoxication.

Kylo would have killed anyone who dared look at him on the rare occasions he was in this state. This state was part of his father's legacy for sure, he thought with disgust, but he didn't have the strength to protest.

As the woman called him again, he finally raised his head.

“Conciliator...” The dark-sider barely greeted her, his voice altered by the booze.

“Supreme Leader...” Vhera replied hesitantly, not knowing what to do next. She looked around for a second, knowing she would pay for witnessing the scene. “May I approach?” 

He shrugged. “Whatever...”

Normally, Conciliator Arani knew, this would have been a situation that was better to avoid if she wanted to live another day, but now, somehow, in front of her there was a sad, intoxicated young man, openly vulnerable and definitely crushed. The fearsome Supreme Leader was nowhere to be found. She sat down on the floor in front of him, her hand reaching for the bottle between them. After a brief look at the label imprinted on the glass, the woman snorted.“That's rubbish,” she declared, taking a flask from inside her coat, and handing it to him. “Here.” 

Ren took the flask in his hand without care, then, after smelling the contents, he took a long sip of rum.

“It's good,” he murmured. “What's this?”

“It's Corellian. My mother makes it. She sends me a bottle or two, from time to time. Actually, she's the only one in the family who kept talking to me after I joined the Order,” Vhera said with a bittersweet smile.

“I know that feeling,” Ren replied in a breath, not even finding the strength to curse himself for drinking enough to be that chatty.

“Bad day, huh?” Conciliator Arani asked casually, stretching her hand to take a glass from the nearby coffee table and helping herself from the bottle of rubbish whiskey in front of her.

“More like a bad month... Months... Two, three months, actually,” he said, before taking another sip.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked kindly. The situation as a whole was totally nuts. Thank the Force he shook his head.

“I've seen those datapads on your desk...” Vhera hesitated. “Are you still thinking about the woman in the gray robe?”

Kylo Ren looked away, pushing his head back against the edge of the bed behind him. “Yes.”

“Any thoughts?”

“Guess what...” He allowed himself an alcoholic smirk. “Time travel is actually a thing. There are a few documented cases. Mostly hyperdrive accidents, but also rumors of some long lost Force power, or even some artifacts...”

“Charming,” she commented, taking a long sip and snorting again. “This is really awful. It must be weird as fuck, knowing that your future daughter or something has come from the future to warn you and shit...”

“Don't tell me about it...” 

Vhera inhaled deeply.“Any idea who the mother would be?”

He clenched his mouth, trying to deny his own suspicions. His own hope. Hope? Hell no. Shut up, Ben, he thought, and don't you dare call yourself Ben.

“I don't have room in my life for such... distractions,” Ren muttered after a while.

“It's healthy to get distracted, sometimes...” Vhera tried to mitigate the tone of the conversation with a gentle smile. “There's nothing wrong with that.”

“Like you and Hux?”

Conciliator Arani almost choked on her whiskey. After a long moment of awkward silence, she replied without an inch of irritation in her voice.“That's not even a thing. Besides, you're the one with the fucked up time travel drama going on. That is far more interesting.”

“It's not like I'm judging you or something...” Kylo kept saying, a little, vague smirk on his face. “Maybe I think your taste in men is shit... But I won't judge.”

Vhera couldn't help but chuckle.“Are you avoiding the subject?” she asked. Like this he was almost… funny. Who'd have thought? 

“Clearly, yes.” Ren grinned, but after a few seconds his grin was gone.“If she comes to you again... the woman in the gray robe...will you tell me?”

“Of course I will. We're in this shit together, so... The least I could help you find out what the heck is going on… Unless you kill me tomorrow, as soon as you remember this whole conversation, which is not that remote a possibility. In that case, I couldn't help you.”

The dark-sider looked back at her with cloudy eyes, a hint of a smirk back on his face. “I'll try not to, then.”

“Thank you very much,” Vhera replied, between amusement and bitterness. Then she put down her glass. “I better go. You need to go to bed, and I need to wake up early to be on the shuttle on time.”  
“Are you going somewhere?”

“Bespin, diplomatic stuff, quite standard. If you're fine with that, of course.” 

Kylo Ren nodded absently while she stood up.

“You really seem like a good person...” he said suddenly. “I'm still wondering how you ended up here.”

Vhera smiled briefly, approaching the door.“I'm here to do my job. Good night, Supreme Leader.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always a big thank you to Winnie for being my beta :D


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I already say that Winnie is an amazing beta? Because she is! Trust me! 
> 
> Thank you so much darling :)

As her third day in Cloud City passed by, Vhera was kind of bored, yet quite grateful that the mission had been far less dangerous than the one before. The place was charming, civilized, elegant. She had met a few delegations from neutral systems and powerful traders. It had all been really polite, appropriate, and pleasant; a lot of smiling and handshaking was involved. 

The treaty was coming along pretty smoothly, but the local mining guild had proved to be quite a match. Yet after three days of relentless negotiation, they were finally finding a compromise. The ratification of the treaty was planned for the next day, and a luxurious celebration would follow. The mining guild representatives had flattered her beyond measure, in the usual diplomatic-smart-ass style, asking her in the meantime if other eminent members of the First Order would honor them with their presence at the celebration.  
That wasn't a good idea, in her mind. Supreme Leader Ren was not in the mood, and he surely didn't look like a party animal. General Hux? Yeah… not in a million years. The Canto Bight experience had been enough, thanks.

When she called him on the holopad for her usual daily report, he seemed mildly pleased with how things were going on Bespin. Not that he showed any kind of actual contentment, but he said so, sort of, in his usual, extremely formal way.

“Anything else?” his hologram asked.

“Actually...” Vhera started. “The most eminent members of the Order had been invited to the celebration for the ratification of our treaty. Can you sand someone of your choice? A significant presence would make us look stronger in the Outer Rim.”

General Hux nodded absently, clearly focused on something else out of her sight.

“My schedule is kind of free for the next two days. I'll take a couple of admirals and a decently armed escort this time. If we want to make them feel the presence of the Order, it's better to show them our strength, not just our gentleness.”

Conciliator Arani raised her brows.“...So I'm the gentleness of the First Order now?”

“I think we can say without a doubt that your job is far gentler than mine,” he replied with his usual cold politeness. 

Vhera just shrugged.

“One more thing,” Hux said blankly. “Please don't dress like a slut.”

Oh, here he was, the same old Hux she had learned to despise. His recent non-hostile behavior had almost worried her. Well, if he wanted to play...

“If you don't like what you see, you can always look elsewhere. There anything else?” 

“No. See you tomorrow.”

“Goodbye, Armitage,” she said, turning off the holoprojector.

***

As the sun came down over Cloud City, Vhera saw the First Order ship landing in the docking bay from her window. In a few hours, the celebration would start, and she was trying to get herself ready. 

When the time finally came, she took the elevator and reached the corridor that would lead her to the main hall in the compound. The First Order delegation was waiting for her. Hux was standing there, stiff as always in another formal black suit, his First Order coat on his shoulders. He almost looked… good. 

Beside him, there were two men she barely knew. Admiral Naris was a big, imposing man in his late fifties with tanned skin and a bald head. He had a firm and determined look on his face like he was ready to engage in a battle. The other one, Admiral Otto, was shorter then Hux, probably in his forties, with a long face and sharp features partially covered by a blond beard. 

The woman reached them, a courteous smile on her dark red-painted lips.“Gentlemen! I hope you haven't been waiting for me for too long,” Vhera said in her usual work voice, intentionally smooth and silky, shaking hands firmly with both admirals. She offered her hand to Hux too, just a formal gesture, definitely needed, even more so in the presence of others.   
He took it, shaking it formally.

“Conciliator Arani!” Admiral Otto greeted her. “We just got here, so you have nothing to apologize for.”

“Thank you, Admiral, it's always a pleasure to see you. How is your wife?”

While Vhera was listening to Otto's answer, she noticed Hux's cold eyes staring at her from head to foot.

As the brief moment of common courtesy ended, General Hux turned to the admirals. “Gentlemen, would you go ahead? Conciliator Arani and I will meet you in the main hall in a few minutes.”

As the two men moved forward, the general's voice lowered in an angry whisper. “What have I told you about clothing.” That wasn't a question.

Vhera took a look at her outfit: a long, crimson dress with a simple design, chest properly covered, bare shoulders, long sleeves.

“What's wrong?” 

“Spin around.” 

“What?!”

Hux raised his brows. “Now.”

Vhera huffed, rolling her eyes. She turned around unceremoniously in obvious irritation, showing her bare back partially covered by a deep v-line.

“I knew it,” Hux said, trying to contain his annoyance. “Go back and change.”

Conciliator Arani turned around again. She could have been angry, looking at him with her annoyed, irreverent look, clenching her mouth in clear distaste, but she didn't. Her brows raised coldly,   
controlled, looking back at him.“No.”

The General's face turned livid. “I won't say it again. Go back and change.”

Vhera didn't look away. She raised her chin slightly as if she was challenging him in her low, silky voice. “Make me.”

Hux didn't fully understand what happened after, but his hand was around her wrist, holding it firmly as he dragged her across the hallway, almost slamming her into the elevator.

For basically all his adult life, Armitage Hux had always considered himself a rational, pragmatic and definitely controlled human being. Acting on impulse was one of those things he never allowed himself to do, but now, as the doors of the elevator closed behind his back, he realized that his mind was totally blank, that he was losing control, and a part of him deep down, a very irrational and shameless part, liked it.

He ignored Conciliator Arani's surprised, almost panicked glare as he pushed her against the elevator's wall, his mouth roughly searching for hers. Her lips parted slightly against his with a little surprised moan that made his breath heavy.

In a second, his hands were on her waist, lifting the fabric of her dress.

She seemed to be very responsive, in a quite surprised kind of way, like she didn't actually believe what she was doing. Her hands grabbed the sides of his neck, pulling him closer to her. She couldn't think clearly, right now. He smelled so good, even better than that time in the woods, it was almost intoxicating. She felt the fabric of her dress reaching her belly, his hands unceremoniously between her thighs, roughly getting rid of her underwear.

“Aren't we supposed to be professional?” Vhera moaned against his lips, her hands now fighting with his belt.

“Shut up,” Hux groaned, pressing his face against the soft skin of her neck. 

Conciliator Arani allowed herself a pleased smirk. “You're such a horny teenager...” She was about to say something else, but her voice turned into a soft squeal as Armitage grabbed her thighs, wrapping them around his hips, and pushing her firmly against the wall. For a slight moment, she was almost surprised that such a thin man could actually lift her without any apparent effort.

As Hux pushed himself roughly inside of her, she smothered a loud moan in the collar of his jacket.

The feeling of him was disturbingly intense, and Vhera found herself grinding her hips against his helplessly, her arms firmly locked around his neck.

“Who's the horny teen now?” Armitage growled against her neck. She could feel a vicious smile against her skin.

“Oh, shut up,” Vhera just managed to reply, trying to hide another moan.

As he kept pushing into her, she felt her apex approaching far earlier than she expected, surprisingly early in fact. As she reached it, Vhera allowed herself a deep, uncontrollable groan in his ear, driving him over the edge with her.

They found themselves staring at each other in silence, trying to catch their breaths.

Hux swallowed hard, looking away as his hands left her thighs, allowing her feet to touch the ground again.

They both took a moment to realize how ridiculous the scene actually was. Two adults, both in a prestigious position of power and responsibility, genitals in the open in an elevator in a huge compound full of important people.

General Hux buckled up his belt, inhaling deeply, and trying to regain a vague semblance of composure.

Conciliator Arani remained for a few seconds against the wall, nervously putting her dress in place.

“We should go,” Armitage stated after a couple of seconds. 

She looked at him again. “You've lipstick on your face.”

“What?” The man rolled his eyes, picking up a black silk tissue from his pocket, and wiping his face with clear annoyance.

“Someone is going to need this elevator... soon,” Vhera reminded him.

As they walked out, they remained in complete silence until they reached the main hall. Conciliator Arani put her work smile on her face, nodding casually and waving at someone in the crowd, here and there.

“I need a drink,” she stated after a while, without looking at him “Alone.” 

Hux just nodded, looking for the admirals in the crowd.

As Vhera reached the bar, ordering her usual double Corellian Rum, she distinctly heard a voice calling her. It was from Anar Lutare, head of the local mining guild.

“Conciliator Arani!” He greeted her with a gentle smile on his face.“Have you already met Turas Landuran, head of the Corellian Engineering Guild?”

Shit. Fucking Turas, her former husband and now apparently the head of the Corellian Engineering Guild, was in front of her, with a clearly embarrassed smile on his handsome face. Vhera had always thought that he had been too handsome for her. His legs were too long, his shoulders too broad, his brown hair too soft and his smile just too sweet, even now, in this particularly unfortunate circumstance.

“Mr. Landuran, may I present to you Conciliator Vhera Arani, Head of Diplomacy of the First Order?”

Turas looked at her with both surprise and delusion. Probably he knew nothing about her career choices after their separation, and his total absence of sympathy for the First Order's cause was clear even back then.

“We already met, briefly,” Vhera managed to say, fighting to keep her professional smile on her face. Then, something inside her cracked, irredeemably. 

At Turas's side, there was a woman. A beautiful woman, with long golden locks gently falling over her shoulders, an incredibly gracious smile and a big, round belly.

“And of course...” the voice of the head of the mining guild came muffled to her ears, “Mr. Landuran's wife, Alena.”

Wife. Pregnant wife. Perfect.

With considerable effort, Vhera managed to deliver a gentle smile to the young blonde woman. Right now, she couldn't even look at Turas.

“It's a pleasure and... congratulations,” Conciliator Arani stated formally, nodding at her belly. “Thank you.” Alena's voice was sweet; maybe too sweet. She clearly didn't know who Vhera was.

“Is it your first?” Vhera asked almost casually, cursing herself for that moment of pure masochism. 

“Actually, it's the third.”

Of course it was. Conciliator Arani wiped out all the rum in her glass in one single sip. “Wow… You kept yourself busy.”

That statement, definitely inappropriate, almost froze those around her. She flashed them with a last, unapologetic smile.

“Now if you'll excuse me, gentlemen, ma'am, my general needs me.”

Without waiting for a response, she walked away, headed for the door to the gardens, relentlessly fighting the wetness in her eyes.

As she walked through the crowd, a hand grabbed her wrist. Hux looked at her with the usual cold expression on his face.

“Where are you going?” As her face melted in obvious, upset resentment, his mouth clenched in vague irritation.“You've done something stupid, haven't you? Who have you offended this time?” 

That was enough. Vhera jerked her hand away from his grasp.“I've done a lot of stupid things tonight, actually,” she hissed. “ The first one was fucking a sociopath in an elevator. Then I casually met my former husband and his new wife, a beautiful young woman with a belly so big, she'll probably give birth to a fucking rancor in seconds. Now if you will excuse me, I need to find a hidden corner in the garden to cry on my own.”

Probably overwhelmed by the sudden amount of personal information, General Hux didn't reply, watching her leaving.

***

The gardens of Cloud City were big, civilized and dark. Not a leaf was out of place, every bush or tree trimmed to look as geometrical as possible. Vhera had found an isolated place, a small opening between two bushes, and had managed to crawl in there, standing still for the next hour, her arms wrapped around herself. After the first twenty minutes of crying shamelessly, she had calmed down, her breath still altered, and now she was mentally cursing herself for not stealing a bottle of Corellian Rum before she had left. She was so furious with herself, with her own feelings, with her wounded pride, that she didn't pay attention to a bizarre roar of thunder in the distance. She was still there, brooding relentlessly when a voice reached her.

“You look upset.”

Vhera almost jumped out of her skin. The woman in the gray hood was in front of her again. “Oh, you're a mind reader, just like your father.” Strangely, her first response was sarcasm.

The woman in gray frowned, looking at her, the black, ancient staff still in her mechno-hand. “Bad time?”

“You're the one who travels in time. You tell me.” 

The stranger rolled her eyes, inhaling sharply. “Have you talked to him?” she asked.

“To your not even thirty-year-old, unstable and constantly enraged, not-yet-father? Yes, I did.”

“And?”

“He freaked out.”

The woman in gray shrugged. 

“Understandable.”

“Yes, totally.”

A moment of awkward silence fell between them.

“Besides,” Conciliator Arani started, “It's not like you have given me that much information to work off. You came, you dropped the dramatic reveal, and you went away, trying to kill me with that Force-mojo-lightning-shit.”

“I haven't tried to kill you, Vhera,” the other woman replied in her calm, deep voice. “The forces I'm using to be able to reach you, to be able to travel in time, are ancient and untamed. Force Storms are just a consequence of them.”

“About that, whoever you are, why don't you go and speak to your parents directly? I'd really appreciate it if you would leave me alone.”

“My name is Leia, thank you for asking, and no, I can't talk to them directly. This thing...” she pointed at the staff in her hand with a nod, “they couldn't touch it or come too near it. It feeds on the Force from the Force user that wields it. To come close to them would be too risky. They're both in time of war; it's important for them to stay strong.”

It was Vhera's turn to furrow her brow. Overlooking the obviously odd choice of naming the Supreme Leader's daughter after a recently deceased Resistance general, another question popped up in her mind.“And exactly how do you manage to handle this untamed, ancestral power?”

“I'm stronger than them. I was born through the Force, I was conceived in it. Besides, I've been training for almost thirty years to be strong enough not to let this thing drain all of my energy at once. And since we're talking about this, I don't have any idea how many times I can come back before this thing actually kills me so... we need to hurry.”

“We? About that...” Vhera was almost annoyed now. “Why me, exactly?”

“This is also your plan,” the stranger declared candidly. “The future you, I mean. You were there when I was born, you were loyal to my father and you felt responsible for me in his absence. After my mother died, you took care of me and together, we looked for a way to change things...” 

“The future me had said something else? Like who the fuck are those Dark Masters, and why do they want to kill Ren?”

“You never did. You feared that I would have tried to find them and kill them, getting myself killed in the process. Unfortunately, I was still young and reckless when you passed away.”

“At least I died peacefully?” Vhera asked with a bitter smirk, but Leia shook her head in silence.

“...So I said nothing… Force, the future me is an idiot,” Conciliator Arani declared, the palm of her hand on her face. “Is there anything else you can tell me?”

“They killed my father on the Finalizer. I know that for sure. Future you always believed that someone inside the First Order betrayed him. Someone told the Dark Masters what he had done.” 

“And what did he do, exactly?”

“He killed Snoke to save my mother.”

Vhera's jaw dropped, her eyes bugging out.“He did what?!” Her scream was covered by a loud, sudden noise. 

They both turned their faces towards the compound. An explosion burst out from the side of the building. Vhera looked up, just as an X-wing fighter flew above their heads at full speed.

She didn't notice Leia's sudden stiffness, her own hand near to her head. 

“There's something wrong...” the woman in gray muttered.

“Oh, really?” Conciliator Arani answered in a sarcastic shout, paralyzed by fear as she saw two Resistance transports landing somewhere beyond the compound. There were screams, and a mob of terrified people started running hysterically out of the structure.

Suddenly, Leia looked up, her eyes fixed on one of the landing transports. “She's here... I can feel her.”

“Who the fuck is here?!” 

“My mother...”

The celebration night had suddenly turned into an open conflict, with stormtroopers shooting relentlessly and Resistance fighters on the ground fighting back.

“Why the kriff are they here...” Vhera asked, mostly to herself. Her hidden spot in the garden, almost half a mile away from the conflict, looked quite safe, at least for now.

“Shit.” Vhera raised an eyebrow hearing Leia cursing for the first time. “She sensed me… She thinks...” The hooded woman hesitated. “She thinks I'm Ren. Our Force signatures must be similar...”

“What?” the conciliator asked. “What does that even mean?!”

“That means that she's coming here to face me, believing I'm him.” Leia took the lightsaber from her belt slowly and ignited it. The long, luminous blade was deep green, with two smaller blades on the guard. Just like Ren's.

“You have to leave, now!” Leia shouted, the lightsaber in one hand, the darkstaff in the other. “You two can't meet, not yet, not like this! I'll buy you some time! Now run!”

“And what about all that 'I can't meet my parents or my evil staff may eat them' crap?!” 

“I'll figure something out. Now run!”

Vhera clumsily lifted her long dress above her knees, threw her high heels away and started running like hell to the docking bay.

Leia inhaled deeply, closing her eyes, feeling the Force howling through her body. She felt the burning light from her mother getting closer, the deep darkness from the staff in her hand, and her, in between, both darkness and light.

“There is passion, yet peace,” she said to herself like a mantra, the slipstream effect of another explosion running through her hair, flipping her hood back, revealing a black mane fashioned in three little buns on the back of her head.

“There is serenity, yet emotion.” Leia started walking slowly to the compound. Through the smoke of the latest explosion, she saw the intense blue light of a double-handed lightsaber coming in her direction.

“There is chaos, yet order.”

She really should have gone, she should have ordered the Darkstaff in her hand to take her away, but she couldn't deny herself the sight of her one last time.

The slim figure of a woman came out from the smoke, walking toward her, a double-handed blue lightsaber in her hand.

In a second, her feral expression went blank, only astonishment on her face. She lowered her weapon.

“You...”

Hearing her voice again after all those years made Leia's stomach twist. She couldn't help but smile, bitterly, in silence.

“Who are you?!” the young woman in front of her shouted. “Why are you here?!”

“I'm the balance,” Leia said, in a low, gentle voice. “Don't worry, Rey. I shall make everything all right.”

The woman in gray knocked the bottom of the staff on the ground, and the Force trembled around her.

As the Force Storm appeared from nowhere, Rey raised her hands, gritting her teeth, absorbing a bolt of force lightning with the blade of her lightsaber.

As she looked back where the woman in gray was supposed to be, there was nothing.

***

Vhera could feel her lungs burning, her heart bumping in her chest. As she ran, X-wings and TIE fighters kept fighting over her head. Getting nearer to the docking bay, a small stormtrooper unit came her way, a familiar face between all those white helmets.

“Lieutenant Mitaka!” she shouted. 

The whole unit stopped at once.

“Conciliator, ma'am!” The man seemed breathless, but as soon as he saw her, his face lit up. In a moment, four troopers were around Vhera, their backs to her, blasters in hand.“We were looking for you.   
We have orders to escort you to the ship.” 

As they all started walking, Conciliator Arani asked,“What happened?”

“Assassination attempt,” declared Mitaka. “They tried to kill the general.” 

Vhera's breath stopped for a moment.“How is he?”

“He'll live. Flesh wound on his side. We've lost Admiral Naris; he threw himself in front of the shot to protect the general. As soon as he failed, the attacker called for reinforcements. Our fighters are bringing most of their X-wing squadron down. They'll retreat in moments, probably.”

Conciliator Arani didn't reply. As they reached the First Order's transport, she and Lieutenant Mitaka got in. 

The stormtrooper unit stayed behind, securing the ramp.

“The Conciliator is in. Shields up,” Lieutenant Mitaka shouted with unusual firmness to a few crew members nearby. then he looked back to Vhera. “We'll wait for the green light for the Finalizer to take off. Are you injured, ma'am? Do you need medical attention?”

“No...” Conciliator Arani was fighting to remain calm. “Where's the general?”

“In the medbay, ma'am,” the man declared, his eyes on a nearby console. 

“Thank you. Now excuse me, lieutenant,” she said, taking her leave.

As Conciliator Arani reached the medbay's entrance, she hesitated for a second. Then, after a deep breath and a firm nod, mostly to herself, Vhera pushed her finger onto the little panel at her side, and the door slid open.

General Hux was sitting on a stretcher, the wound on his side already covered in bacta patches, his bare back to her.

“You're alive,” she stated, emotionless.

As Hux heard her voice, protected by the fact she couldn't see his face, he allowed himself to close his eyes in relief for a second.

“I am,” he replied calmly, without turning around. “Sorry to disappoint you.”

Sarcasm? Now? Fine. 

Vhera clenched her fists, but forced herself to relax, moving closer. “Shut up...” she said back, not bitterly, not annoyed as usual, just gently, with a hidden softness in her voice.

Strangely, Hux did shut up. His eyes went to her as she came closer. Vhera didn't talk, her glare lost in the wound on his side.

“It's going to leave quite a scar...” she said absently.

“I don't mind,” Armitage replied, looking away. “It's part of the job.”

“I'm sorry I wasn't there to repay my debt...” she murmured, her eyes closing nervously right after, asking herself what the fuck she was saying.

“Don't be stupid, Vhera. Words can't deflect blaster shots.” His reply was almost bitter.

The woman couldn't help but move closer, her arms crossed protectively over her chest as she stood in front of him.“Is that the reason you think I'm useless?” Vhera asked, her eyes boring into his now, maybe for the first time since the elevator.

Armitage clenched his jaw, forcing himself to stare right back. She never looked like this. Fragile, almost broken. She was a civilian, clearly unprepared for experiencing the battlefield, especially considering her state before the attack. For maybe the first time in his life, he deliberately chose, to go soft on someone.

“You're not useless. Gentleness is,” he answered in a calm yet distant tone. “In times of war, gentleness is nothing but a weakness.”

“This war isn't meant to last forever. Every war is fought to accomplish peace, in the end. When war ends, it will be words’s turn to rebuild what war has destroyed. I'm just trying to make sure that there will be something left to rebuild.”

That was one of the most naive things Hux had ever heard in his life. He could have replied that fear was good enough to keep planets together, to force them to rebuild themselves. He could have said that words had led to the corruption of the Republic, that words, spoken to the right ears, had led to the rebellion that crashed the Empire. He decided not to, not for that fragile, uneasy look on her face, so similar to the one she had when he was wounded on Cantonica's moon, not for that look that made her eyes look soft. He told himself that he was tired, and wounded, and medications were making him dizzy and that Vhera had just survived probably one of the worst nights of her life.

“What happens after has never been my concern,” Hux simply admitted. “I'm a man of war. That's what I am.”

Vhera nodded, lowering her gaze. “I know who you are.”

Maybe she did. Maybe Armitage Hux was just what he was, a man of war, a man of power. A man who had nothing to do, nothing to share with a woman of words. He knew who she was too. They had nothing in common, both incapable of understanding one another. They were millions of miles away from each other, and there had never been common ground to share. 

For a moment, he felt angry and frustrated by the weakness of that thought. But deep down, a very hidden part of him, a part that he despised even more without regrets, was secretly glad that she couldn't ever understand what it actually meant to be who he was: a man of power, a man of war, a man of cruelty. 

Damn those medications and that dizziness. 

Searching eagerly for something to say, against his better judgment, he only managed to grab her waist and drag her near. None of them actually knew who was the first to move forward, but now, their lips touched with smooth calmness, kissing with secret gentleness. 

Hux's hand dropped from her waist, and only their lips kept touching, for a long, hesitant, soft moment. There was no rush, no untamed passion, no irrational, primal instinct to blame, and that made that kiss even more frightening. 

They both found the strength to move away at some point, almost together, as they had begun.

For a long moment, they stayed silent, intentionally avoiding looking at each other.

“This idea is even stupider than the previous one, isn't it?” Vhera murmured, moving one step backward.

“Definitely, it is,” Hux replied. His mouth felt dry. “You don't have to worry. This means nothing.”

“I know,” she said back. Hearing her voice so meek and distant was new, and, he realized, unsettling. “I know who you are.”

Vhera walked away in silence. 

Armitage could hear her one last time, behind him, next to the door.

“Get well soon, general.” 

His fist clenched.“Thank you, conciliator.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Winnie, an amazing beta <3

Reaching the Finalizer felt strangely liberating. Being trapped with Hux for more than ten hours, even a few rooms apart, had left Vera unsettled and nervous, on the edge of rage and self-hatred. 

After almost half a cycle of intense cursing, brooding, and just feeling awful in many new and kaleidoscopic ways, Conciliator Arani looked at the huge hangar with renewed hope. The Star Destroyer was big enough to avoid him as much as possible. Besides, she had work to do. She visited her quarters briefly, only to make sure that she had the proper tools for the job. Then, after requesting as gently as possible the position of the Supreme Leader, she marched relentlessly to his quarters.

She needed to knock this time, a clear sign that he wasn't waiting for her. As the door opened, Ren looked at her with a perplexed, dark glare. He was sitting at his desk again, another datapad about time travel in his hands.

“Yes, Arani?” he asked coldly.

Normally, Vhera would have been surprised by his calmness, by his apparent absent will to kill her for the weakness he had shown her a few days before, but she wasn't in the mood to be surprised right now. She reached his table, a determined look on her face.

“We need to talk, now,” Conciliator Arani declared, taking a quite big, quite full bottle of her mother's Corellian rum from under her coat and setting it on his desk unceremoniously.  
Supreme Leader Ren only furrowed his brow. 

“What happened?”

Her only response was to lean forward, putting her elbows on his desk, as if she was offering her head to him.

“Read my mind, it would be quicker,” Vhera said firmly, her eyes on his. “And skip all the Hux parts; they’re boring and definitely not worth mentioning.”

Ren looked slightly surprised by such sudden impetuosity.“Would you care to at least explain what happened, before?” he asked, on the edge of perplexity. “Can you please just rape my head as you always do and get on with it?” Vhera asked between her teeth.

Something in that tone, in those words, awakened his natural predisposition to fury. He raised his hand near her head, and this time, as he went into her mind, it was far more violent than any time before. Conciliator Arani almost fainted on his desk, as he drifted in her thoughts and memories brutally, like a predator in a flock of prey.

He saw everything. The woman in gray, Leia. Her name was Leia. Her lightsaber, bright green, the color of wisdom in the old Jedi Order, yet so similar to his. He saw her sensing her mother on the battlefield. He felt her saying she was born through the Force, that she had been conceived in it. He felt her revealing to Conciliator Arani the truth only he and Rey knew.

“He killed Snoke to save my mother.”

The implications were obvious at that point.

Panicking, his rage smashed deeper into Vhera's mind, making her body squirm in pain on his desk. Had she betrayed him already? Then something he felt turned the fire of his fury into a silent coal. She hadn't. And, somehow, she didn't want to. Someone would have, soon, but she would have not. Never. Even the woman in gray, that he just couldn't allow himself to call Leia right now, knew her loyalty, a loyalty he didn't know he could inspire. Such loyalty wasn't inspired by fear, and that left him astonished.

Kylo Ren moved his hand away.

Conciliator Arani couldn't even move. She was barely breathing, almost unconscious, and blood was dripping from her nose onto one of the datapads on his desk. After a moment of deep confusion, Ren got to his feet. In a rush of unexpected compassion, he lifted her like she was weightless, putting her on the nearest chair, his. He held her head up with his gloved hand, knowing it would have dropped upon her chest without his hold. Kylo saw her trying to open her eyes; a painful moan came from her throat.

The dark-sider's free hand raised to the nearby cabinet, calling to him a bottle of water with the Force. He put the bottle to her lips, but she nearly choked when the water reached her throat. 

“Arani.” His voice was firm, calling her, keeping her head up. “Arani, try to focus.”

After a few seconds, he felt a slight bit of strength coming back into her body, her eyes blinking repeatedly in confusion. As soon as Vhera managed to raise her head, he removed his hand.

Her shaking fingers went to the top of his desk, trying to find the strength to pull herself up on her feet.

“Arani, don't, it's too early...” his deep voice warned her, with unexpected gentleness. 

With an effort that felt unbearable, she stood up, precariously.“Where is the 'fresher...?” The woman wavered, finding it hard to speak. “ I feel like I'm about to throw up...”

Kylo unexpectedly found himself holding her again, helping her to the refresher. 

She protested at first, but her legs were far too unstable to refuse his help.

As Vhera fell on her knees in front of the toilet, he moved a couple of steps backward.

Her guts finally betrayed her, pushing out almost everything she had eaten in the last few days.

After a long moment, breathing heavily, her head still almost inside the toilet, Vhera dramatically raised a trembling fist.

“The most awful thing about all of this...” she managed to say in a husky, suffering voice “...is that I'm sober.”

Ren didn't reply. He only watched her as she tried to get to her feet again. Vhera was still weak, but her body was trying to recover from the shock.

He took her again to the main room, letting her lean on a couch. Vhera managed to open her eyes; they were cloudy and confused, but they were looking at him.

The dark-sider sat on the floor in front of her. One of his hands went forward, removing the blood from under her nose.

“Why do you believe in me?” he asked after a while, a vague bitterness in his low voice.

“I know what it's like to be young and underestimated,” Vhera murmured with evident effort. “You are passionate about things. It's part of you. It means that you care. You're not like Snoke, and this is a good thing. You can give the strongest man in the galaxy all the power he can ask for, but if he doesn't care about anything, he'll be just a tyrant. He will learn how to make people kneel, but he'll never be a ruler. You can't learn how to care; you either do or you don't.”A gentle, exhausted smile appeared on her face.“You'll be a great ruler one day, if that's what you want.”

Kylo felt something like a strange, unknown warmth clenching his stomach, a sense of odd, unexpected recognition, but also sudden fear. Rey. It had always been Rey. Now Conciliator 

Arani had seen something good in him, something worth believing in, as only Rey had before. “I'm a murderer...” Ren said, almost to himself. “I'm a monster...”

“You're a monster who cares,” Vhera whispered, her eyes closing slowly. “It's a start.”

***

That night Ren left his quarters, not particularly comfortable with the thought of Conciliator Arani sleeping on his couch, but still not heartless enough to send her away in the condition he had left her after his last mind reading session. He mindlessly hit the corridors of the Finalizer, his head full of questions he was not ready to get answers for. Just before the dark-sider turned left in the next hallway, the Force hummed gently around him, in an usual, warm sensation he really hoped not to feel in that moment. As he moved around the corner, his eyes met hers.

Rey was standing in the middle of the deserted hallway, her fists clenched, her eyes full of fury. For a moment, Kylo hoped that this was just another one of those connections they’d shared lately. Those connections in which they just ignored each other, both incapable of hold each other’s gaze, just hoping for a brief conclusion to it all.

This time was different. Her eyes weren't moving away.

“Who is she?” Rey's voice asked, smashing against his ears in the numb silence of the hallway. “Who?”

“Don't do that. Don't try to deceive me, Ben.”

His jaw clenched, his glare falling on the ground. Of course. She had seen her. For a moment, his breath stopped. At once, the burden of everything he knew crashed onto his mind, making his mouth twitch.

“I felt her through the Force,” Rey spoke again. She sounded determined, hiding her rage under a very implausible coldness. “She felt very much like you. Who is she?”

“You don't want to know,” Kylo managed to reply, avoiding her eyes almost desperately, realizing just now how much he really would have liked not to know either. The young woman moved forward, showing her teeth in feral irritation.

“I do want to know. You've sent her to my dreams and to Cloud City. What now, Ben? Don't you have the strength to kill me yourself?”

His mouth went dry, and this time he couldn't help but look at her. “She's not here to kill you, Rey, and neither am I. You know that.” 

“What is she here for, then?”

“You weren't supposed to met,” he answered, dropping his voice. “She wasn't there for you.” 

“You know why she's here, don't you?” the young woman hissed.

“I do.”

“Then why won't you tell me?!”

Ren looked away, feeling deeply the heaviness of such truth. “I want to spare you the burden of knowing such things.”

“Why?!”

He didn't answer. 

She moved forward, almost in front of him. “Why?”

“Because you hate me already, and what I know will only push you further away.”

Silence fell. Suddenly, something shifted on her young, freckled face, turning her cold fury into something that looked like a deep ache.“I don't hate you. You know that.” 

“You should.”

“I can't.”

“Please, Rey. Stop.” He was almost... pleading. “We both know where this is going. Nowhere.” The last word tasted particularly bitter in his mouth.

She didn't move away.

“This burden...” Rey started, her arms crossed protectively over her chest. “This burden you don't want to share… concerns me?”

He nodded.

“And concerns her?” 

Another nod.

“Let me help you,” she whispered. 

“You can't. You wouldn't understand.” 

“Please, Ben.”

“You're not ready, Rey. I wasn't either.” 

“For what?”

“Knowing who she is.” Kylo's eyes opened as soon as he realized the truth. He wanted her to know, he needed her to know. Desperately. But suddenly that felt even worse. His breath stopped as he felt her hand touching his arm with a gentleness that almost made him shiver. 

“Please, Ben.”

He inhaled deeply, painfully, feeling like he was about to commit the greatest mistake of his life, but not finding the strength to avoid it. “What do you know about Flow Walking?”

His question, so apparently out of context, left her openly confused. 

“Nothing.”

“It's a long-lost Force power. It allows Force users to walk through time without interfering.” 

“What does that have to do with…?”

“She is using it, somehow,” Kylo interrupted her. “She has an object, an artifact, that allows her to interfere, to interact with this timeline.”

“You mean that she is...” 

“From another time, yes.”

Rey's lips clenched, her hand still on his arm. 

“Do you believe me?” he asked.

“I do,” she replied. “I can sense you're telling the truth.” 

Ren closed his eyes.

“She knew us,” Rey realized after a while. “When she appeared in my dream, she told me she missed me.”

“She's trying to save us, Rey,” he admitted bitterly. “She's trying to save us from something that will happen soon, and that would lead to our death.”

“Why?”

Kylo swallowed; saying something had never been so hard. “Because she's ours, Rey.”

He felt her hand tremble on his arm, jerking away in abrupt terror. “You mean…?”

“Yes.”

Any strength she had left her body, leaving her boneless and breathless, falling on her knees. 

He knelt in front of her instantly, his hands on her arms to slow her fall. Suddenly, her eyes were wet, lost somewhere in front of her where his chest was.

“I'm going to be a mother...” she only managed to whisper, a bitter form of terror on her face. 

He didn't have the strength to reply.

“When?”

“I don't know exactly... But Rey...” He tried, numb pain bumping in his chest, “you don't have to be. I know I'm not the person you...”

“Nonsense.” Her arms stiffened under his touch. “She needs to be born if we want her to come and warn us. She exists; that's enough proof of what will happen.”

With a short breath, Kylo realized he didn't have anything else to say but... “I'm sorry.”

That small sentence alone managed to make her burst into tears, her head leaning forward, crushing helplessly on his chest. Ren only managed to put his arms around her, hesitantly,   
as he feared she would break. She didn't move, only capable of crying helplessly against him until the bond took her away.

***

A few weeks passed faster than Conciliator Arani expected. Her daily routine on the Finalizer had drastically changed. In the morning, she kept up with the First Order's public affairs, taking personal care of dealing with the High Council, some galactic guild delegations, trading negotiations and so on. In the afternoon, usually, she went to the habitual meeting with the highest ranks of the Order, always taking a place at the Supreme Leader's side. Besides the obligatory meetings, Vhera had managed to avoid General Hux successfully. He didn't seem particularly eager to see her either, fortunately. At night, usually after dinner, the most stressful yet funny part of her work began. A bottle of alcohol in her hands, she went to the Supreme Leader's quarters to talk.

They talked about his future as a leader, mostly, considering choices to make and decisions to take when the war ended. Sometimes, they talked about the woman in gray again, trying to understand together who his enemies from inside the Order actually were. Other times, when he was particularly drunk, Ren allowed himself to talk to him about that girl, Rey.

In some weird way, Vhera thought with a hint of surprise, they had become friends. Not that either of them would ever dare to say that out loud, but nevertheless, that was what they had become. He allowed her to call him just Ren, at least in private, and she learned, soon, that after three glasses of a good Corellian rum, he felt comfortable enough to talk to her about his personal torment. Usually, she just listened, giving some sassy, unequired advice just to make him laugh. Yep, Kylo Ren was actually able to laugh, with the right amount of alcohol in his system. Those were sad laughs, usually, but it was better than nothing. That night, maybe because they finished almost a whole bottle in a few hours, he was particularly chatty.

They were sitting on the couch, neither of them in a particularly composed position. Vhera was weirdly comfortable, her back down on the couch and her legs unceremoniously draped over the back. Ren was not far away, legs crossed, his elbows on the soft armrest.

This was one of those times in which Kylo was particularly talkative about the girl. Vhera almost freaked out when he tried to explain to her what a Force bond was.

“So you're telling me... that once in a while, randomly, the Force decides to connect you, and suddenly you see each other like you where in the same place, even if you're a galaxy apart?” 

Ren nodded.

“Damn. And what if one of you is peeing, or masturbating or something…?” 

The dark-sider almost choked on his Corellian rum.“Vhera, you're gross.”

“No, seriously, it's an important question.” 

“Well, luckily, that’s never happened.”

“And you can touch too, in these Force bond connections? Like if you were there in person?” she asked.

“Well, yes.”

Vhera raised her eyebrows.“Is there something particularly kinky you would like to share?”

“No, Vhera.” Kylo shook his head, looking away. “We touched hands. Once. Just that. Are you trying to be the perverted teenage male friend I never had?”

“Maybe... Force, you're lucky. If I had such power, I would probably become some kind of Force- sensitive nymphomaniac. Being able to touch the person you actually want to fuck, even if she is on the other side of the galaxy, I mean...”

“And that's the signal that you’ve drunk more than enough,” he stated, taking the bottle of rum from her and putting it away.

“Yup, maybe you're right...” Vhera huffed, massaging the bridge of her nose with two fingers. “Besides, we have the briefing about the first attack of our X-wing squadron tomorrow,.I need to sleep, or I will not survive another of Hux's speeches.”

Ren chuckled briefly. “About that...” “Oh Force, Ren, shut up.”

“So you can ask me inappropriate stuff about Rey, but I can't ask you about Hux?”

“Exactly, now you're getting it,” Vhera smirked, putting her feet back on the floor. “Besides, I'm your unofficial counselor; minding your business is basically my part-time job.”

“When did I promote you?” Ren asked, raising an eyebrow.

“When you didn't kill me the first time I find you drunk in your bedroom, I think,” the woman answered, getting precariously to her feet.

“You really need to sleep,” he declared.

Vhera moved torward the door, putting on her usual gray coat.

“I know. Sleep well, Ren,” she said lightly, a vague smirk on her face. 

“You too.”

Conciliator Arani stepped out, hands in her pockets. As the door to Ren's quarters closed, she could hear the sound of steps behind her in the corridor. As she turned to look back, she found the cold glare of Armitage Hux on her, looking at her directly for the first time in a month or so. Trying to hide her own drunkenness, Vhera nodded at him, as composedly as possible.

“Good evening, general,” she said, ready to turn her back on him and walk away. His reply stopped her.

“Are you serious?” he asked. 

“I beg your pardon?”

“Do you have any idea what time it is?”

“My sleeping routine is none of your concern, general,” Vhera spat, finding it hard to balance and leaning her hand on the wall as casually as possible. “Now, if you will excuse me.”

Hux moved a few steps forward, his face like stone. “No, conciliator, I won't excuse you.”

Normally, Vhera would have ignored him, as she’d brilliantly done for almost a month now, but the alcohol in her system chose otherwise.“What do you want, Hux?”

“What do I want? No, Arani, what do you want is the question here. Was it your plan all along to seduce the Supreme Leader? To try to manipulate him for your purposes?” The general asked coldly, on the edge of annoyance.

“What the kriff are you even talking about?!” Vhera's eyes cracked open.

“Internal security reports told me that you've been seen leaving his quarters at a pretty unusual time for the last few weeks. Needless to say, this kind of behavior is totally reprehensible.” 

“You had me followed?!” the woman almost yelled.

“There was no need,” he replied, lifting his chin in evident distaste. “You were not exactly hiding.”

“Exactly, because I had nothing to hide!” Vhera growled through her teeth. 

Hux almost smirked, vaguely sadistically, looking at her reaction. “Did I hit a soft spot, ma'am?”

“I'm not fucking the Supreme Leader, Hux!” The woman raised her voice, making the general look around nervously, just to be sure that no one was hearing their conversation. “And even if I was, I can't see how this could be of your concern.”

“I won't let you destroy the First Order from the top with your ridiculous pacifist mambo-jumbo, Arani,” Hux hissed in her face, getting even closer, a furious look in his eyes.

“Well, general, you don't have to worry. I'm not doing anything against protocol, so you can keep playing your silly war games as long as you wish.”

Vhera was kind of pleased at the firmness of her response, but then, her alcohol intoxication decided to add something to her statement:

“Besides, Ren isn't exactly my type. Too manly men give me anxiety. I'm clearly not confident enough to even be thinking about it.”

Hux's first response was to furrow his brow nervously. That was a low blow.“Trying to undermine my manliness is very mature of you, Conciliator. Luckily, your feedback is not needed,   
or requested for that matter.”

“I'm not trying to undermine anything, Hux. I'm drunk. I just want to reach my quarters and go to sleep.” She sighed in frustration. “But I can't, because you decided to ambush me outside of the Supreme Leader's door in the middle of the night!”

“You were not supposed to be here in the first place!”

“Oh, I'm sorry, Armitage, did I hurt your feelings?” Her alcoholic brain went in full venomous mode. “You have to blame me for the fact that you lost control of yourself and we fucked a couple of times? Listen to me clearly, you sociopathic, useless control freak! The fact that you need to consider me a whore to feel better with yourself is your problem, not mine.”

Hux's face became livid. “How dare you, you insolent -”  
Suddenly, the door behind them opened.

“Are you going to be long?” Supreme Leader Ren asked calmly, his dark, imposing figure looking at them with perplexed annoyance.

Both of them froze.

“With all due respect, Supreme Leader, this is none of your business,” Hux hissed nervously. 

“You're both screaming in front of my door while I was trying to rest, so you made this my business too,” Ren pointed out coldly. “Besides, I'd really appreciate it if you would stop bothering Conciliator Arani with your ridiculous accusations immediately.”

It was time for Vhera to intervene.“Thank you, Supreme Leader, but I know how to fight my own battles. Now, excuse us for the noise. I better go.”Conciliator Arani didn't wait for a response. Ignoring both of them, she started walking down the long corridor.

With a cold nod to Ren, Hux took his leave too.

Seconds later, he stopped in front of the elevator, ignoring the fact that Vhera was there too with outraged ostentation.

As the doors of the elevator opened, Conciliator Arani stepped in quickly, looking back at him with fury in her eyes.“Don't you dare.” She pointed a very irritated finger at him. “I'll not be alone with you in an elevator ever again.”


	7. Chapter 7

The next day, Conciliator Arani was walking to the meeting room to attend the briefing about the incoming 'Wings of Death' operation. What a pretentious, idiotic name. Hux's doing, she would bet, walking along the huge wall of transparisteel which separated the corridor near her sleeping quarters from the main hangar. Suddenly, she stopped, glaring at the floor of the hangar beneath her. 

A transport she didn't know, an Upsilion-class shuttle, had just landed. Supreme Leader Ren was standing in front of it, a few meters away. Six figures she had never seen before came down from the ship. They were all in black, their features disguised by helmets, hoods, and masks. As she saw them kneel in front of Ren, a chill ran down her spine. Those must have been the Knights of Ren she’d heard so much about, back from their mission in the Outer Rim for which any information or report had been denied to her. That must have been pretty classified stuff. 

As the knights rose back to their feet, Vhera realized that that was probably the first time they’d met Ren as their new Supreme Leader. For a second, she could swear that one of the hooded masks had looked back at her in the distance, and she glanced away. With a deep breath, she started to walk again.

***

The whole meeting room was silent as General Hux started to speak. The holoprojection in front of him was showing the round, luminous shape of Lothal, a former mining planet in the Outer Rim. 

“Gentlemen...” he started, purposely avoiding acknowledging the presence of the only woman in the room, Conciliator Arani, sitting next to Supreme Leader Ren, as usual. “Lothal has been selected as the perfect target for the Wings of Death operation. It has a history of sympathy for the Rebellion back in the Empire days. In the last few months, there have been rumors of a minor Resistance presence in the sector, so we propose a swift action to stop an alliance before it begins.”

Hux slid his fingers on the pad in front of him. The holoprojection zoomed in on the northern hemisphere of the planet.

“Our forces will approach the planet on board a cloaked freighter. Then, the Death-Wing squadron will attack five targets that have already been selected. I'm sending details to your datapads now.”

General Hux's glare fell on Conciliator Arani and Supreme Leader Ren. Everyone at the table was busy looking at their own datapad to grasp more details about the mission, yet Vhera  
had found the time to exchange a small, indecipherable glare with the dark-sider at her side. Hux's face remained immutable like it was made of stone, but something inside him was burning in irritation. For a moment, in his head, he could hear Vhera's beautiful, soft voice screaming in lust for Ren, and not for him, and that spike of imagination was enough to make his fist clench. He forced that thought away, refusing to even consider the possibility of feeling jealousy toward the useless, irrelevant human being that Vhera Arani was. She was nothing. What happened between them was nothing. Hux refused to feel manipulated, even by her now-usual distance from him.

Looking away, he cleared his throat.

“Questions?” he asked, without a response. “Excellent. Moving on...”

A little, gloved hand raised at the end of the table. 

Hux forced himself not to roll his eyes. 

“Yes, Conciliator Arani?”

“Gentlemen...” she said, rising up. “May I propose to mount a humanitarian mission on Lothal the day after the attack?”

The high ranks of the First Order froze in their chairs. 

“I beg your pardon?” Hux responded coldly.

“If we grant support to the Lothal population after the attack, they'll see us as saviors, doubting the Resistance even more. In time, we could inspire their allegiance to us if we show mercy for them in their time of need. Maybe, if they start to perceive the Resistance as a proper enemy, which we can make them with the Death-Wings squadron, they'll agree to become a First Order protectorate, with minimal military effort.”

A few surprised comments came from the high ranking officials around them. General Hux clenched his jaw slightly.

“Supreme Leader Ren, any thoughts?” he asked.

Ren raised his eyes from the datapad in his gloved hands. His glance ended up locked on Conciliator Arani's eyes. Seeing them looking at each other again, especially at the moment in which the Supreme Leader was supposed to make a pretty important decision, made Hux's stiffen with resentment.

“Conciliator Arani,” Ren stated calmly. “You have my permission to arrange what's necessary for the humanitarian mission.”

Hux's eyes narrowed in poorly disguised disgust.

“Very well, gentlemen...” he declared. “The attack is planned in three days. If we have nothing left to discuss, this meeting is adjourned.”

***

That night, in the Supreme Leader's quarters, no alcohol was involved. Vhera and Ren were talking about work, and Ren didn't look particularly pleased.

“A public appearance? Are you crazy?” he asked, sitting at his desk.

“No, listen to me, it's perfect. Do you remember when I talked about the differences between tyrants and rulers? The galaxy must learn to respect you, even admire you, not just fear you.” 

Kylo rolled his eyes, exhaling nervously from his nose.“Good luck with that.”

Now it was Vhera's turn to roll her eyes. Her hands went to her hips.“Very well. I'm clearly not drunk enough, but... You need a pep talk, now.” 

“No, I don't.”

“Yes, you do,” she replied firmly, sitting unceremoniously on the desk and crossing her legs in front of her. “What's wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong. Your idea is just stupid.” 

“Why?”

“You know why.”

Vhera raised her eyebrows, her own hand under her chin.

“Because no one will ever like you because you're big, bad and ugly?” 

Ren clenched his jaw.“I wouldn't have phrased it in such a childish way, but yes, sort of.” 

“Don't be silly.”

“Arani, seriously. I'm not the kind of person people like; it's not my role. I'm proud of being who I am, but I'm not likable. I can't be anything else but the monster I am,” Ren responded, emotionless.

“Very well.” Vhera inhaled deeply. “ Be nice and take the rum, would you?” 

“I'm really not in the mood for drinking.”

“It's for me, Ren,” the woman replied. “My brutal honesty comes out smoother when I drink enough.”

The dark-sider rolled his eyes, raised a hand, and called the bottle and a glass from the near cabinet to him through the Force. 

Vhera held her breath. That stuff used to give her the creeps every time.

He filled the glass with dark liquor, handing it to her.

“Cheers,” the woman murmured, before swallowing the whole thing in a single sip. She coughed briefly, but after a deep breath, Conciliator Arani looked him directly in the eyes, raising a finger to his chest.“Listen to me. You are young, powerful, strong and attractive. You have all the qualities you need to be a great leader, so stop whining.”

“Hey, I'm not whining,” he responded. His voice sounded altered but more embarrassed than angry.

“I get it. Picturing yourself out of your comfort zone is hard. Damn, it's one of the hardest things a person can do, but you're going to be great. Damn, you even made that girl fall for you, and you're supposed to be her sworn enemy.”

“Stop right there, Arani,” Ren interrupted her. “If you bring her up in this discussion, I will really need to drink.”

Vhera raised her hands apologetically.

“Fine, sorry. Sorry.” She hesitated for just a second. “I'm just trying to say that you need to show the galaxy that you're not Snoke, that you're better than him. Tyrants inspire rebellions; rulers inspire devotion. It's your choice which one you want to be.”

Kylo moved back, slowly sinking into his chair with a deep breath. “I'll think about it,” he murmured after a while.

“Excellent,” Conciliator Arani replied with a big, warm smile. She jumped off the table in a vaguely clumsy move.

“Time to sleep,” Vhera said then, putting on her usual gray coat. “And by the way, you're doing great.”

Ren furrowed his brow.

“Sometimes, your level of supportiveness can be overwhelming,” he stated, a hint of perplexity in his low voice as he looked at the woman walking to the door.

“You'll get used to it. Sleep well,” she answered, leaving the room.

Once Vhera was out in the corridor, her eyes rolled helplessly. The tall, slender figure of General Hux was waiting for her on the other side of the hallway, arms crossed over his chest.

“Is this some kind of standing appointment, now?” she asked, frustration in her voice. 

“Not here,” he replied, nodding at the door behind her. “Walk.”

As he had not-so-nicely requested, Vhera started walking along the corridor, the pads of her fingers nervously massaging the bridge of her nose, her eyes closed.

He marched by her side for a while, then, as they both reached the elevator hall, he stopped. 

“Listen to me carefully, Arani,” he started in a hiss, pointing a finger at her. “I know what you're doing, and I will not allow it.”

Her eyes rolled so hard, she felt a hint of a headache. 

“What have I done now?”

“You will not turn this organization into a kindergarten were everyone hugs, smiles, and picks daisies. I don't care how much you had to blow the Supreme Leader to make him agree to that stupid humanitarian mission, I will not allow it to happen,” Hux declared as coldly as he could, forcing himself to contain the high pitch of pure disgust that risked affecting his voice.

“Oh, you are incredible!” Arani replied with an annoyed snort. “ You're bringing this nonsense up again!”

“Of course I am, since you feel authorized to waste the First Order's resources in useless operations like the one you proposed today!”

Vhera lowered her head, the palm of her hand covering her eyes and nose in pure frustration. 

“Listen to me, there's no reason to argue about that any further.” Her voice sounded too tired to actually be irritated. “The Supreme Leader made his choice. Can you please just get over it?”

In response, his anger spiked to new limits. Facing the fact that he just couldn't change the Supreme Leader's decision was enough to make his jaw clench and t his fists raised in mid-air.

“You are a disgrace to this organization,” Hux hissed venomously. “You can't just come here and believe you can get all you want using your... your...” his mouth went dry, desperately searching for a proper way to phrase it, absolutely determined to not lower himself further with any more vulgarities. “...your pelvic sorcery!”

“Pelvic sorcery?!” Vhera didn't know whether to laugh or punch him in the face. She breathed heavily, trying to calm down. “Listen, Hux. Your obsession with my sex life is really getting out of hand. You should really work on that; it's not healthy.”

“I'm not obsessed with anything about you, you arrogant little whore! And don't even try to lecture me about...”

“Enough!” the woman shouted in his face, interrupting him. “Do you want me to be a whore? Excellent. I'll be a whore. Maybe then you'll leave me alone. Happy?!” Her face reddened with rage as her hands moved to unbutton her shirt furiously.

Hux just froze.“What are you doing?” he managed to say, forcing his eyes away from the soft lines of her chest that started revealing themselves between the fabric of her open shirt.

“What's wrong, Armitage?” Dark sarcasm leaked from her smooth, calculated voice. The false, warm voice he’d learned to recognize. “Isn't this what you want, me being a whore?”

The general couldn't find the strength to reply, but he gasped as she mercilessly pinned him against the wall. Her hands reached nervously for his belt.

She was enraged, almost trembling in relentless fury when he managed to reply: 

“Vhera, stop.”

Vhera ignored him as her hands became bolder, undoing his pants. As she felt her eyes getting wet out of frustrated rage, the woman decided she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry. She just went to her knees in silence, only a few inches away from him.

His stomach clenched as he saw her kneeling. It was time to react, or soon he wouldn't have enough strength to stop her.

“Vhera, enough, somebody could see us...” His voice died in his throat as he felt her mouth around him.

“Isn't this what you want?” Vhera moved away just enough to muffle her response against his skin. “So you can show them that you're right. You can show them how much of a whore I am...”

Her voice was trembling in a way he’d never heard before, and he was able to feel it, despite the overwhelming amount of distraction her mouth was giving him. He inhaled sharply and grabbed her by her shoulders, moving her away firmly.

“Enough, Vhera, this is...” His voice died in his throat again now that he was looking her in the face and noticing her swollen, wet eyes.

Something cracked inside of him, dragging Armitage into new and unknown depths of feeling awful. Suddenly, to his astonished surprise, it felt like all of his rage toward her, all the resentment and all the disgust, had been swept away, replaced by a dreadful uneasiness he refused to consider as guilt.

He put himself together rapidly, with one hand, keeping the other on her shoulder. Then, still asking himself what the hell he was doing, he knelt in front of her, dragging her into his arms without saying a word.

“What are you doing?” she protested weakly between sobs, trying to move away without much apparent conviction. “Leave me.”

Armitage didn't reply, just tightened his hold, his eyes lost in obvious confusion somewhere behind her, trying to ignore with all of his rationality the vague relief he felt while keeping   
her that close.

“You can't hug me, you sociopath...” she whined again against his coat. “You hate me. You hate me so much...What are you doing that for?”

Again, he didn't answer. He just dragged her up on her feet, loosening his grip on her only to clench his fist around her wrist.

Without looking at her, Hux started walking, feeling a lump in his chest as soon as he realized that she was actually following him in silence.

***

 

Hux's quarters on the Finalizer were spacious and simple, a clear symptom of a maybe too organized mind. Nothing was out of place, not a single thing. A perfectly lined pile of datapads was on the desk, bottles full of various beverages, every one of them the same exact size as the next and even with the same amount of liquid in them, were standing in a perfect line on a shelf next to the door. Even the bed looked brand new as if no one had ever slept there. 

That obsessive sense of order made Vhera feel even more out of place there, between the dark sheets, outstanding relief still pumping through her veins as her heart bumped furiously in her bare chest. Her breath was still uneven, and her limbs felt boneless, her eyes fixed on the ceiling above her. Hux's pose closely resembled her own, confused glare at the ceiling included, as he was lying on the bed next to her, their limbs barely touching.

Vhera didn't know what to think about the moment they had just shared. It hadn't been rough and mindless as usual. It hadn't been fast and desperate, as in the elevator on Cloud City, or nervous and unexpected like the one in the woods, on Cantonica's moon. The only thing between them that vaguely resembled what they’d just experienced was that weird, terrifying, intimate kiss they shared on the transport leaving Cloud City almost a month ago, and that was enough to make her feel anguished. The silent treatment Armitage had been giving her since the elevator hallway wasn't helping at all; her mind felt free to drift effortlessly between doubt and paranoia. 

Vhera used to consider herself a grown-up, a pragmatic, mature individual. She did know how to handle physical attraction and inconsequential, mindless, meaningless sex, yet something in the latest experience was quite out of her comfort zone. Maybe it was that they actually find the time to undress entirely, or maybe the fact that they kept looking at each other for almost the entire time. Something felt different about the whole experience, but the scariest thing about the whole situation was that she actually enjoyed that difference, in a way so deep that she wouldn't dare admit it.

That unprecedented sense of intimacy felt quite uncomfortable, especially considering she was feeling it toward Armitage, who surely didn't look like the most emphatic person in the galaxy. Maybe that was all in her mind, all the panic, all the doubt. Maybe she was just overthinking things. Probably Hux, just for the sake of being Hux, hadn't felt any difference at all, or simply didn't care.

In a moment, Vhera realized that if she was going to keep torturing herself, she would prefer to do it alone. She rose from the bed in silence, putting both of her bare feet on the cold floor.

“Where are you going?” His voice, vaguely weakened by his own recent bliss, stoked her like a fire.

Vhera hesitated briefly, without turning around. 

“I should go to my quarters...” she breathed. 

“You can stay, if you want.”

The woman turned around, looking at him directly, hardly hiding her surprise. His eyes were still on the ceiling.

“Are you sure?” 

“Yes.”

She nodded briefly, leaning against the bed again slowly.

“Do you need any... physical contact of some sort?” he asked after a while, finally moving his head to look at her.

Vhera raised both of her eyebrows in perplexed disbelief. She realized too late she was almost on the edge of laughter. A nervous laughter at first, but still laughter. The woman tried to get a hold of herself, hiding her own face in the pillow.

“What's so funny?” he asked with a hint of irritation as he raised himself on his elbows. 

Vhera couldn't help but keep laughing.

“That is the weirdest way anyone has ever asked for cuddles in the history of the galaxy.” 

“Nonsense, I'm not asking for cuddles,” was his nervous, defensive response. Impulsively, he started rising from the bed, but a little hand grabbed his arm, pulling him back down.

“Come here,” she murmured, unable to remove an amused smile from her face. Suddenly, that little, tiny hint of humanity was enough to make her relax, letting her enjoy the moment again.

Armitage rigidly followed her lead, his head landing on her shoulder. He managed to relax a little only when he felt her fingers moving gently through his hair.

“I'm not good at this,” he simply stated, after a while.

“Me neither,” Vhera reassured him, her lips close to his temple. “Don't worry… We won't tell anybody.”


	8. Chapter 8

Lothal's air was still thick with dust and the scent of burning ashes after the fake X-wing attack three days before. As Conciliator Arani expected, the local government reacted by immediately distancing themselves from the Resistance’s cause, or so their spies said. As soon as the offering of help came from the First Order, Governor Naruk of the Lothal system welcomed it with open arms.

Being suspicious about things going too smoothly was part of Kylo Ren's nature, and he couldn't help but keep looking outside the window of the building the First Order representatives were offered to stay in Lothal's Capital City, looking relentlessly for any possible hint of something going wrong. The Force hummed gently around him in a reassuring, calm way that made him straighten his shoulders. There was too much calmness around. The area was filled with a vague sensation of grief, due to the victims of the latest attack, but also with a timid vibration of hope he wasn't used to sensing around him. Furthermore, the fact that that hope was actually misplaced was filling him with an uneasiness he wasn't quite prepared to feel.

War had been always simple to him, killing even more so, or so he liked to think. There was no second thought needed. Brutality was swift and efficient, and the consequences were far simpler: death or subjugation. Ren found himself pondering Conciliator Arani's role in all of this. This plan, this huge deception, was actually her doing, and that felt so strange, considering the woman she appeared to be, so gentle and caring, in her own quite alcoholic way. Considering her capable of planning the death of even a few innocents was, he realized, almost disturbing. Her words came to his mind, briefly.

“A monster who cares... it's a start.”

Was she talking about him, or herself? Or was he just projecting his inner fears on the conciliator?

Was asking how she could live with that guilt only another way to avoid asking himself the same question?

Kylo clenched his fists, clearly irritated by his own train of thought and where it was going. Luckily, someone knocked at the door, distracting him.  
After a vaguely nervous “Come in” from him, the brown head of Conciliator Arani appeared through the door, as if evoked from his deepest thoughts, offering him her usual gentle smile. 

“How is it going?” she asked, stepping in and closing the door behind her.

“All good, I suppose,” he responded, still looking out of the window. “Nothing seems out of the ordinary… Or so the Force is telling me.” He noticed just now the huge garment bag she was holding with both of her hands, careful to ensure it didn’t touch the ground.“What's that?”

“Your clothes for today,” Vhera answered without even flinching, hanging the bag on a nail on the nearest wall.

“My clothes are just fine,” he replied dryly.

“Oh, they are, except they're not,” the woman replied as naturally as she could, unzipping the clothing bag in front of her. “Don't get me wrong, I love black. It suits you very well and matches adorably with your marvelous skin tone but... black is a little bit too extreme. We're here to inspire trust in those people, not fear.”

“Your patronizing attitude is quite irritating, Arani,” Ren said back with a vaguely annoyed twitch of his lips. “You know that?”

“I'm not asking you to wear pink or white.” Vhera revealed the contents of the bag: a long, elegant and simple tunic, very much like the one he was wearing, perfectly matching his usual style. The only difference was the color; it was a warm smoky gray. “Gray says that you're not bad, but not good. That you're in between, like everyone else. Gray says that you're nuanced, that you don't need to stand out with some stupid bright color, but also that you can be formal, composed, and understanding.”

Kylo furrowed his brow for a moment.“This is why you always wear gray?” he asked.

“Yes, and also because I'm boring,” Vhera replied with a little, complicit smile. 

Ren moved closer to the gray suit, looking at it with an absent glare.

“Can I ask you a question?” he said after a while. 

“Of course.”

“Is this the first time that one of your decisions led to someone's death?” 

Vhera fell silent for a second, her eyes on the ground.“No.”

“How does it feel?”

“Awful, every time. I keep thinking it will get easier, but it never does.” 

The dark-sider just nodded absently.“Do you regret it?”

“Of course I do. I can't stop asking myself if it's worth it,” Vhera murmured, her hands nervously torturing a sleeve of his new gray robe.

“And how do you answer to that?”

“I don't. I keep hoping that there won't be a next time, I keep hoping that this will be the last sacrifice that will end the war.”

“And when the war doesn't stop?”

Her mouth twisted in a little, bitter smile. 

“That's what the rum is for, I suppose.”

Kylo didn't reply; he just took the gray robe in his hands. “It's not that bad,” he admitted after a while.

“Get ready, then. We'll be on our way in half an hour,” Vhera replied, forcing a gentle smile on her face while she reached for the door.

***

“My boys, you made me so proud!”

“Arani!” Hux and Ren replied in unison, the same annoyance in both their voices. The three of them had just come back from the public appearance Vhera organized in front of Lothal's government building, and Conciliator Arani just couldn't wipe a big smile from her face. Supreme Leader Ren had spoken in public for the very first time since his enthronement, following her instructions about his speech with great attention. General Hux, as she had highly recommended, had managed to stand behind him in silence with a not-so-hideous expression on his face. 

The crowd even cheered for them, at one point. As they stood in the elevator taking them to the living quarters of the government building, nothing seemed capable of taking her smile away, not even the not-so-implicit threat in their voices, calling her back to more appropriate behavior.

She couldn't help but feel a deep relief lighting her chest. Although the presence of the Knights of Ren as the Supreme Leader's personal escort had been a little bit too dark, fortunately, the crowd hadn't seemed to even notice them, back on the main balcony of the government building where Ren made his speech.

The elevator's doors slid open with a gentle metallic hiss, and with a last, dashing smile and a nod to the Supreme Leader, Vhera left, making her way into the corridor. She realized after a second that Hux was walking next to her.“Where are you going?” she asked.

“They gave me the room in front of yours, so...” 

“Oh, right...”

They walked in silence for a few more seconds, then Vhera stopped in front of her room.

“Armitage?”

“Yes?”

The woman tried a hesitant little smile, moving a step towards him. 

“Thank you.”

His brow furrowed. 

“For what?”

“For being here, even if you don't believe in what I'm doing.”

The general felt his mouth go dry. Between all the nuances of Vhera's voice, that particular one, so genuinely soft and almost sweet, was one of his personal favorites. Not that he actually cared to admit such a preference, but something, a little warmth in his chest, didn't care about his will to deny it. He found himself looking away, with a hint of what would have been perceived as embarrassment on anyone else.

“I'm just doing my job,” Armitage replied with a vague weakness in his voice that actually annoyed him a little.

The smile on Vhera's lips spread. She looked around briefly and moved a little bit closer. “Nobody's watching, general,” she declared in a warm whisper, a hint of amusement in her eyes. “You know, in case you wanted to kiss me.”

He stiffened.

“I still wonder how you manage to always find the most inappropriate thing to say,” he answered, far more nervous than he cared to admit.

Vhera burst into a genuine, disarming laugh, lighting up her face in a way that was far too gracious for him to ignore.

“You're adorable when you're that uptight,” the woman teased him.

Hux replied with a snort, but he didn't manage to hide a minuscule smirk on his face. He looked around briefly, leaning toward her right after, brushing her lips with his.

Vhera kissed him back, her hand on the collar of his jacket.

“Do you want to stop by, maybe tonight after the dinner with the Ggvernor?” she murmured against his mouth, her voice far too warm.

He just nodded slightly.

“Good,” she replied, releasing his jacket. “See you later then.”

The woman opened the door to her room, closing it behind her with a little smile to the man still in the corridor. But as soon as she turned to walk to her, desk she almost jumped.

The slender figure of Leia, in her usual gray hood, was leaning on the armchair near the window. Her mechno-arm tightened wearily around her staff, dark circles around her tired eyes. 

“Force!” Vhera almost squealed, holding her breath. “Are you going to show up any time I go off-world or something?”

“Sort of...” the other woman replied, her voice heavy with evident fatigue. “ Evoking a Force storm in a Star Destroyer didn't seem like a good idea to me...”

Conciliator Arani raised her eyebrows, nodding briefly. That made sense. “You look like shit, by the way,” Vhera said after a while.

“I know,” Leia answered, too weak to be offended. “It's the Darkstaff... It's devouring the Force inside me. Even hiding my Force signature is really tiring right now. I don't believe how many travels I’ve endured... Any news?”

“Not yet.”

“Force, Vhera!” The hooded woman snorted in clear impatience. “We're running out of time. I'll be conceived in days, maybe even now...”

“The fact is, your father has no idea who may actually betray him. It's not like he is the most trusting guy in the galaxy, quite the opposite, but nobody except me seems to know what happened with Snoke, and I only know because you told me. There must be something else you can tell me, Leia. Those Dark Masters, as you called them… Are they Force sensitives?”

Leia nodded briefly, her jaw clenched, looking outside the window.

Vhera scrubbed a nervous hand through her own hair, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

“That makes even less sense. The only other Force sensitives that I know are your mother and...” Her eyes shot open. “The Knights of Ren.”

Leia raised her head, looking toward Conciliator Arani with sudden interest. “Who?”

“The Knights of Ren.” Vhera spoke rapidly. “They're his private guard now, sort of. He's their master.”

“How many are they?” 

“Six, as far as I know.” 

“Where are they now?” 

“In the building.”

Leia clenched her fists, impatience on her face.

“Sorry to ask, but...” Vhera hesitated. “Aren't you supposed to feel them in the Force or something?”

“I'm too weak...” the other woman replied in clear irritation. “I need to focus...” she declared, closing her eyes. She inhaled deeply, grinding her teeth for an effort Conciliator Arani couldn't understand.

In a moment, swift as a heartbeat, Leia's eyes opened again, a mask of pure rage on her long face.

“One of them is here,” she hissed, using the staff to pull herself up from the chair. “I recognize her Force signature. She's the bitch who killed my mother.”

“Shit,” Vhera only managed to say. “What about the others?”

“I never met them. I have never felt their Force signatures before, but that bitch...” Her voice was a suffering moan of pure fury. “I could recognize her anywhere.”

Leia tried to walk to the door, her free hand clenching the hilt of her lightsaber. After a few steps, though, her long legs trembled, and she only managed to lean on the staff in her mechno-hand, her breathing heavy and uneven.

Vhera jumped to her feet, moving forward.“You are in no condition for a fight,” she said. “Besides, they're still acting like they're loyal to him. Maybe they don't know yet. Attacking them openly without a chance of winning will only kill you and make them suspicious.”

Leia's face erupted in a feral growl, due to the physical pain and her evident frustration. 

“You need to talk to my father. You need to find the traitor.”

“I will.” Conciliator Arani nodded. “ I'll go immediately.”

“No.” The woman in gray looked at her, something indescribable in her eyes. “Later. He is with her now.”

***

Ren came into his temporary chambers on Lothal, and his breath almost stopped. She was there, again, standing in the middle of the room, her brown hair flowing gently around her shoulders, and her hazel eyes looking at him with what he could only recognize as sweet despair, much like when she’d looked at him in Sonke's throne room months ago, after the fight with the Praetorian Guards. Kylo reminded himself to breathe again, moving forward.

“What is going to happen?” she asked in a trembling whisper. “What's the exact reason why she's here?”

“Someone will betray me, soon,” he muttered “I'll be killed. And after that, they'll come for you.” 

Rey's eyes filled with tears almost instantly. Something in the firmness of that statement broke something inside her.“Who?”

“We don't know yet.”

The young woman felt a strange, scary, very unjedi-like rush in her bones. In a moment of pure instinct, she reached out, grabbing him awkwardly in a painful, heartfelt embrace. 

He almost froze under her touch.

“I won't let you die,” she whispered against his chest. 

“Rey...”

The young Jedi ignored his vague protest, lifting herself on the tip of her toes, her hands moving to cup his face. Something inside him awoke abruptly, screaming in both relief and hunger, as he suddenly felt her hesitant lips on his.

For as long as he tried, he couldn't force himself to move away. This felt incredibly wrong and astonishingly right at the same time, he realized, putting his arms around her, dragging her near. Her warmth under his fingers, on his lips, the wetness of her tears on his face, was too much. With an effort so tremendous it made his teeth clench, he moved away from the kiss, his eyes still closed, his forehead resting on hers.

“You don't want this,” he murmured. painfully. “You're just trying to do what you think is right...” Rey gave him another small, slow, gentle kiss.“You're wrong,” she only managed to say. 

“I want this.”

Kylo shivered openly, his broad shoulders stiffening. For a moment, he cursed himself for how childish his trembling voice sounded.

“Do you?”

“I do.”

The strange feeling of pure disbelief burned in his chest as he lifted her in his arms, reaching for her mouth again. 

She grabbed his shoulders firmly, without a hint of hesitation in her now demanding hands, releasing him from his cloak.

Kylo's mind went blank as he took her to the bed in the next room. Suddenly that raging and panicking voice inside of him fell silent, overcome by an unexpected realization. She was   
his, and he was hers. The Force was humming softly around them, embracing both of them encouragingly as they both got undressed. Then there was just warmness, shivers and passion, with a hint of something he’d never expected to experience: affection, care, tenderness. Love.

***

Vhera was walking back to her room with a nervous twitch under her left eye. The whole situation was becoming overwhelming. Leia was gone, again, and she had only found the strength to drag herself to the nearest bar, firmly avoiding any escort and ensuring herself a fair, so definitely excessive, amount of Corellian rum. On Lothal, it was still afternoon, but she indulgently allowed herself to admit that well, somewhere in the galaxy, it was already the proper time for a drink. 

The waiting was the worst part about the whole insane situation. Having to wait to tell Ren all that she'd found out was almost unbearable, but Leia stated firmly that he couldn't be interrupted, not now. Not that the thought of breaking into Ren's room and finding him Force-fucking that girl was particularly appealing, but there was just too much at stake right now. Nevertheless, if they were actually making Leia -- gosh, that thought was absolutely odd even for her standards -- she really did have to wait, unless she wanted to be the cause of some Force-time-paradox-shit. She was only a diplomat, for Force's sake. Her job basically just required her to be a smart-ass. She was clearly not qualified to handle all of that Force-mojo fucked up rubbish. 

The dinner with all the major representatives of Lothal was in three hours, and before that, she had to talk to Ren, horny, Force sensitive girl or not.

She reached the door of her room, absently sliding her badge into the panel to open it. Lost in her thoughts, Vhera didn't even realize that it was already open.

She walked into the small entrance, freezing in the moment she realized she was not alone. 

“Sabine, are you sure this is the right room?” A man she didn't know was standing in front of her wardrobe, his perplexed glare on a breast band he was holding in his hand. Her breast band. His piercing blue eyes went to her instantly “Shit.”

“What the...” Vhera only managed to say, reaching for the door in a sudden rush of fear.

“Stop her!” a woman's voice shouted, and suddenly she was incapable of moving or speaking at all. The man's hand was stretched in mid-air, pointed at her. Another figure, probably female, in excessively colorful Mandalorian armor, stepped out from the corner.

“Well... She’s definitely not General Hux,” she admitted with a candor that sounded pretty weird to Vhera's ears.

“Yeah, I get that,” the man hissed back, his hands still pointing at her. “Who is she then?” 

“Give me a sec...”

Conciliator Arani forced herself to be rational, even if the alcohol in her body wasn’t helping. There were two intruders in her room, one clearly Force sensitive, holding her still with a power she couldn't clearly understand or contrast in any way. The other, the Mandalorian woman, was now handling her personal datapad on the desk.

“Vhera Arani,” she read after a couple of seconds, her eyes still on the screen. “Conciliator of the First Order. Assigned to the Finalizer a little over a month ago. She's a diplomat.”

“Great,” the man huffed, looking back at the Mandalorian woman. “And now?” 

“Now what?” the Mandalorian spat.

“What are we supposed to do with her? She's not what we came for.”

Vhera's breath almost stopped. 

The woman in armor, however, looked ridiculously chill, considering the situation.“It's better than nothing,” she stated after a while. 

“Are you serious?” the man asked in clear irritation. 

“Yes, now put her to sleep.”

Vhera only saw the man's hand clenching briefly before she blacked out.


End file.
